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Photographic 

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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

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Collection  de 
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Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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n 


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I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagde 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pellicul^e 

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mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6ti  filmdes. 


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tot 


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Douglas  Library 
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conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

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derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
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plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sent  film6s  en  commenpant  par  ia 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  seion  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

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film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  ciichA,  11  est  film6  d  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  heut  en  bes,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ntcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  ia  mAthode. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

NOTIONS 


OP  THE 


AMERICANS: 


PICKED  UP  BY  A 


JTRATFLLING  BACHELOR. 


W  TWO  VOLUMES. 


VOL.  I. 


ANEW  EDITION. 


»hnatreli*f«: 

CAREY.  LEA.  &  BLANCHARD, 
1838. 


,v 


L 


/■» 


/!        k 


V  n        r 


tt 


Eastern  District  qf  Pennsylvania,  to  unt : 

•«»*#«     BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  That  on  the  nineteenth  day  of 

«L.  S.#  July,  in  the  fifty-third  year  of  the  independence  of  the  United 

««««**  States  of  America,  A.  D.  1828,  Cakey,  Lea  &  Caret,  of  the 

■aid  district,  have  deposited  in  this  office  the  title  of  a  Book,  the  right 

whereof  they  claim  as  Proprietors,  in  the  words  following,  to  wit : 

"  Notions  of  the  Americans.    Picked  up  by  a  Travelling  Bachelor.*' 

In  Conformity  to  the  Act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
entitled,  "  An  Act  for  the  encouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the 
copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books,  to  the  Authors  and  Proprietors  of 
such  copies  during  the  times  therein  mentioned."  And  also  to  the  Act 
entitled,  "  An  Act  supplementary  to  an  Act,  entitled  •  An  Act  for  the 
Encouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  Maps,  Charts, 
and  Books,  to  the  Authors  mad  Proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the 
times  therein  mentioned,'  and  extending  the  benefits  thereof  to  the  arts 
of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching,  historical  and  other  Prints." 

D,  CALDWELL,  Clerk  of  the 

Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania, 


^ 


/? 


^  •il 


'» i 


iff  h'^fru.">    '■       77", 


'f>fTiri 


TO 


r  ...r 


'l',,r|.,    <| 


'10  4 'J' 


JOHN  CADWALLADEB, 

OF  CADWALLADEB, 


n«,s 


•7/  at 


'  i  ;  i??4T?  9?  'fEW-VOmC,  UJJIITED  STATES  pF  ABIEI^IOA 


.>j..r 


.'WOvJjiJ 


'■>'f; 


.<;: 


'  Without  yoiir  aid  '  and  kifldiiess'lfi^e 
p^gescouid. never  have  been  writteB.,  What- 
ever other  people  may  think  of  their  r^erit, 
it  is  quite  probable  that  you  and  I  believe 
they  contain  sonie  truths.  We  must  there- 
fore endeavour  to  keep  each  other  in  good 
humour,  provided  they  shall  happen  to  he 
neglected  rather  more  than  our  joint  opinipqs 
may  lead  us  to  think  they  deserve. 

Shortly  after  my  return  to  the  queen  of 
cities,  there  was  a  happy  reunion  of  allthe 
remaining  members  of  the  club.  I  know  you 
will  be  glad  to  hear,  that,  with  a  solitary 
exception,  this  embraced  everv  man  whnsp 
name  has  stood  on  the  roll  since  its  fprm^- 


IV 


DEDICATION. 


tion.  But,  alas!  there  is  an  exception.  The 
poor  Dane  has  fallen.  The  worthy  professor 
trusted  himself,  for  too  long  a  time,  in  seden- 
tary employments  in  a  warm  cUmate.  1  write 
it  with  grief,  but  he  was  married  at  Verona, 
about  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
16th  August  last,,  to  the  daughter  of  a^  Ital- 
ian physician.  Jules  Bethizy  and  Waller 
were  both  at  Florence  when  he  was  first 
taken,  and  they  flew  to  his  assistance  with 
the  earnestness  of  a  long  tried  friendship. 
But  remedies  were  too  late.  From  the  first 
moment  the  symptoms  seemed  threatening ; 
and  as  the  best  advice  was  fortunately  so 
close  at  hand,  there  is  reason  to  think  the 
malady  was  perfectly  incurable.  Bethizy  has 
some  suspicions  of  foul  play,  and  makes  dark 
allusions  to  philters  and  amulets;  but  the 
father  of  the  fair  infection  solemnly  protests 
that  the  whole  is  the  effect  of  sun  and  soli- 
tude. We  have  done  all  that  remained  to 
sorrowing  friends.  An  epithalamium  has 
been  written  by  the  Russian,  and  it  was  set 
to  solemn  music  by  the  Abbate.  A  brass 
plate  has  been  let  into  the  back  of  the  fauteuii 
of  the  derelict,  containing  an  appropriate 
inscription,  and  two  memento  mori  are  cut  in 
its  sides.     A  wedding  ring  has  also  beeii 


JDEDICATIOK.  y 

attached  to  the  nose  of  the  portrait,  which, 
as  I  have  often  told  you,  is  always  suspended 
over  the  chair  of  a  member. 

The  question  of  a  successor  has  been 
deeply  agitated  among  us.    Nothing  but  the 
exceeding  liberality  which  pervades  and  col- 
ours our  meetings  could  have  insured  the 
result  which  has  grown  out  of  the  election. 
Yes,  my  friend,  the  empty  fauteuil  is  yours  ; 
and,  as  I  know  you  have  destroyed  the  coat 
|of  awns  of  your  European  ancestors,  I  have 
caused  a  design  of  my  own  to  be  emblazoned 
m  the  proper  place.     It  is  a  constellation  of 
twenty-four  stars,  surrounded  by  a  cloud  of 
mbulmYfiih  a  liberty-cap  for  a  crest,  and  two 
young  negroes  as  supporters.   I  was  obliged 
Ito  adopt  this  equivocal  blazonry,  in  order  to 
Iquiet  all  parties,  for  the  election  was  not 
^without  a  struggle.     A  great  deal  was  3iid 
about  liberality,  but  I  believe  you  know  that 
hberahty  always  infers  certain  reservations 
The  Abbate  objected  a  good  deal  to  the 
preponderance   of  the   Protestant  interest 
and  I  thought  Waller  was  a  httle  jealous  of 
havmg  a  member  who  might  introduce  a 
dialect  of  his   mother  tongue.     But  Jules 
-Kethizy  stood  bv  von  lito  o  r^^^    ._j  ., 
Kussian  swore  you  were  his  neighbour,  and 

A  2 


vi 


i  1 

1 1 


-  I 


I    i' 


DEDICATION. 


that  in  you  shoufd  come.  In  short,  the  ques- 
tion was  carried;  and  now  the  agony  is  over, 
both  the  Baronet  and  the  Priest  put  the  best 
possible  face  on  it. 

Come  to  us,  then,  dear  John,  as  soon  as 
you  can  tear  yourself  from  the  delights  of 
home.  We  contemplate  a  great  and  general 
movement  during  the  next  three  years'  re- 
cess, and  an  honourable  station  shall  be 
assigned  you  in  the  task  of  peregrination. 
There  is  a  good  deal  of  distrust  manifested 
by  some  unbelievers  in  our  body  concerning 
the  matter  detailed  in  my  letters ;  but  n'tm- 
porte,  thirty  years  ago  most  of  the  worthy 
members  did  not  know  the  colour  of  the  skin 
of  the  people  concerning  whom  I  have  writ- 
ten. They  who  live  thirty  years  hence  may 
Hve  long  enough  to  discover,  that  what  now 
seems  so  marvellous  will  then  be  deemed 
quite  a  matter  of  course.— Adieu. 


^'Wji' 


•   rm-f^-y  '■-*'■- 

'MOT  y/      aiij       i' 

\Uu  r  '4^H  101  Uf 

./" 

,' 

-m 


h- 


i 


the  ques- 
ny  is  over, 
It  the  best 

i  soon  as 
elights  of 
id  general 
years'  re- 
shall  be 
grination. 
lanifestcd 
^ncerning 
but  wVm- 
le  worthy 
f  the  skin 
lave  writ- 
ence  may 
vhat  now 
s  deemed 


PREFACE. 


The  writer  of  these  Letters  is  not  without  some  of  the 
vearnings  of  paternity  in  committing  the  offsprmg  of  his 
^  brain  to  the  world.    His  chief  concern  is  that  the  book  may 
t  pass  as  near  as  possible  for  what  it  was  intended  m  the  de- 
sign, however  it  may  fall  short  in  the  execution. 

A  close  and  detailed  statistical  work  on  the  United  States 

fof  America,  could  not  keep  its  place  as  authority  for  five 

years.     What  is  true  this  year  would  the  next  become  liable 

to  so  many  explanations,  that  the  curious  would  soon  cease 

to  consult  its  pages.    The  principles  of  the  government,  and 

the  general  state  of  society,  are  certainly  more  permanent; 

^  but  the  latter  varies  rapidly  in  the  different  stages  of  a  life 

.^that  IS  so  progressive.    Nothing  more  has,  therefore,  been 

^attempted  here,  than  to  give  a  hasty  and  general  sketch  of 

Imost  things  of  mterest,  and  to  communicate  what  is  told  in 

fas  unpretending  and  fajniliar  a  way  as  the  subjects  them- 

selves  would  conveniently  «.llow. 

c^^^'^f  f T  ™',". "'  *"  "■'"'"^  *» '"' "  «<»™»''. 

correct.  The  Author  claims  no  exempUon  from  error;  but 
M  he  h.6  given  some  thought  and  a  great  deal  of  time  to  the 
.ubjecta  on  which  he  haa  treated,  he  hopes  that  refutation 
will  not  easjy  attack  him  in  the  shape  of  evidence.  His 
reaeomng-if  rapid,  discursive,  «id  Ul-arranged  arguments 
«m  aspire  to  so  high  a  n«ne-must,  of  cowj,  depend  on  ite- 
own  value.  A  great  number  will  certainly  condemn  it,  for  it 
M  certamly  opposes  the  opini««  of  a  vast  number  of  veA 
no„_  ,,_j,^  ^  x^urope,    omi,  ^  he  has  no  one  object  but 


•  •  • 

Vlll 


PREFACE. 


I  ! 


the  gcKxI  of  ,11  h,»  fcllow-creature,  ii,  view,  he  hone,  no  ,m 
worthy  motive  will  be  aaoribed  to  m  publication  '  "' 

There  is  a  rtiltbl,  gfraver  oHfence  against  the  riah..  „f      j 
e™  than  any  contained  i«  the  opinio^  tWs  Zrt     aT^ 
deal  ha,  been  printed  that  should  not  have  blTlnd    '^ 

The  wnter  has  not  treated  the  public  with  so  little  ceremony 
as  to  usher  a  work  on  their  notice  without  at  le  Jt  ZTZl 
a  f«,r  proportion  of  this  apology  is  contained  Tt,  p3 
If  he  deceive  himself,  it  will  be  hie  misfortune,  and  tf  he 
does  not  deceive  his  readers,  he  shall  rejoice. 

The  circumstances  to  which  allusion  has  just  beeii  ^I'il. 
mvoKe  haste  in  printmg  „o  ta  than  haste  in  l^i'' 
There  are  errors  of  style,  and  some  faults  of  „„  a^; 

vL.rT    .  ™*  ''*™' '"  ^'™"J  ''»«es,  been  con- 

verted  :nto  adjectives.  In  one  or  two  instances  ne«tly^ 
have  been  introduced  where  it  wa.  not  intended  to  usTTher 
But  they  who  detect  most  of  these  blunders  wffl  Jow  hTw 
to  make  rllowances  for  their  existence .  ,h  »-  .v.™_"   T 


^e  hopes  no  un- 
tion. 

osed  to  believe 
the  hnpoi  ^Jlce 
Jmpted  to  show 
)n  this  subject 
inion  that  time 
^  in  this  unfor- 
ni>  the  Author 
sideration  that 
the  points  that 
I  satisfied  with 

•ights  of  read- 
v'ork.     A  vast 
Jen,  and  much 
rly  said.     But 
great  and  ac- 
Something  of 
id  on  the  fact 
ication  at  all. 
tie  ceremony 
ast,  believingr 
in  its  pages. 
b;  and  if  he 

been  maiie, 
in  selection, 
ammar,  that 
the  copyists, 
stance,  used 
s,  been  con- 
's, negatives 
o  use  them, 
know  how 
iOSc  who  do 


PREFACE.  IX 

not,  it  win  be  a  matter  of  but  Uttle  interest.  The  Author 
has  far  less  ambition  to  be  thought  a  fine  writer,  than  to  be 
thought  an  accurate  observer  and  a  faithful  narrator  of  what 
he  haa  witnessed. 

It  will  be  seen  that  much  use  has  been  made  of  the  opin- 

ions  and  information  of  a  native  American.     Without  some 

such  counsdlor,  the  facts  of  this  book  could  n.  ver  have  been 

t  collected.     There  is,  perhaps,  no  Christian  country  on  earth 

Umted  States  of  America.     The  institutions,  the  stiite  of 

Jjociety,  and  even  the  impulses  of  the  people,  are  in  some 

^measure  new  and  peculiar.    The  European,  under  such  cir- 

Icumstances,  has  a  great  deal  to  unlearn  before  he  can  becin 

|o  learn  correctly.  ^ 

America  has  commonly  been  viewed  in  the  exceptions 
.ther  than  m  the  rules.     This  is  a  common  fault  wS! 
ti-aveUers,  smce  it  at  once  gratifies  their  spleen  J  i^lt 
their  lazmess.    It  is  a  bad  compliment  to  Lman  nature  bu 
not  the  less  true,  to  say  that  no  young  traveUer  entera  for 
e^  country  without  early  commencing  the  task  of  invidiol 

P^tly  nuss  the  thmgg  to  which  we  have  been  accustomed 
H  which  may  owe  half  their  value  to  use  •  andi^T 
me  and  habit  to  create  new  attachmem.'    This  t^T'oT 
Jiaracter  is  by  no  means  confined  to  Europe     Th«^  > 
can  assure  his  contemporaries,  that  fo^Lr  travel  Zf 

I  '^'^Ifn  nations  with  a  more  laudahle  disdar  th^  't  Zf^ 

veriiTr^r^o  t  TSi^  '^'^^"'  ^^  -^"  -  ^^« 

London  club-house.    Ere  W^  w^^^       !^f  "^^^^'^  ^'  * 
too ;  and  as  hp  h««  o„  ^  ^®^"*  ^  ^^^^  hooks, 

uMrC„::e'frt~7r°f  "'^  ""»•" "'  -•»»*- 

to  thi.  ^^'  *'"'«  he  pays  a  Mesin..  trih.,.. 


X 


PHEFACEi 


The  writer  has  not  the  smallest  doubt  that  many  6rthod6x 
unbelievers  win  hsten  to  what  he  has  said  of  America  in  thip 
work,  with  incredulous  ears.  He  invites  ail  such  stout  ad- 
herents to  their  own  preconceived  opinions,  to  submit  to  a 
certain  examination  of  facts  that  are  perfecJtly  within  their 
reach.  He  would  propose  that  they  inquire  into  the  state  of 
Amenca  as  it  existed  fifty  years  ago,  and  that  tliey  then  cbm- 
pare  it  with  its  present  condition.  After  they  have  struck  a 
balance  between  the  two  results,  they  can  safely  be  left  to 
their  own  rumihatioris  as  to  the  probabihty  of  a  people,  as 
barbarous,  as  ignorant,  and  as  disorganized,  as  they  have 
been  accustom^nl  to  Consider  the  Americans,  being  very  likely 
to  work  such  miracles.  When  they  have  honestly  come  to 
a  conclusion,  it  is  possible  they  may  be  disposed  to  give  some 
credit  to  the  contents  of  the  following  p&geB. 

It  is  not  px-etended  that  the  actual  names  of  the  individuals 
to  whom  these  letters  are  addi'essed  are  given  in  the  text. 
It  is  hoped  that  eight  or  ten  single  gentlemen  can  meet  onc3 
in  three  years  in  a  club,  and  that  they  can  pass  the  inter- 
mediate time  in  journeying  about  the  world,  occasionally 
publishihg  a  few  ideas  on  what  they  have  seen,  without  being 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  doing  so'much  violence  to  their 
modesty  as  to  call  each  other  unequivocally  by  their  proper 
appellations.  Had  they  not  been  disposed  to  Kves  of  free 
comment  and  criticism,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  they 

would  have  all  been  married  men  these  — years. 

One  more  word  on  the  subject-matter  of  these  pages,  arid 
tHe  writer  will  commit  them  to  the  judgment  of  his  readers 
without  further  interruption.  In  producing  a  work  on  the 
United  States,  the  truth  was  to  be  dealt  with  fearlessly,  or  the 
task  had  better  be  let  alone.  In  such  a  country,  existing  facts 
are,  however,  of  consequence  only  as  they  are  likely  to  affect 
the  future.  It  is  of  little  moment  to  know  that  so  many  houses 
are  in  a  town,  or  so  many  straw  beds  in  such  a  house,  when 
premises  are  at  hand  to  demonstrate  clearly,  that  ih  a  year  or 
two  the  roofs  of  the  city  will  be  doubled,  and  the  inmates  of 


the  dwelling  will  repose  on  down.     The  highest  oomplimeirti 
that  IS,  or  that  ca.i  be,  paid  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  is  paid  by  writers,  who  are  evidently  guilty  of  their 
pohtenesB  under  ahy  other  state  of  feeling  than  that  of  com- 
piaeency.'   The  Englishman^  for  mstante  (he  is  quoted  be- 
cause the  most  industrious  in  the  pursuit,)  lands  in  America, 
and  he  immediately  commences  the  work  of  comparison  be^ 
tween  the  republics  and  his  own  country.    He  is  ca^eftil 
enough  to  avoid  all  those  topics  which  might  producean  un. 
favourable  result  (and  they  are  sufficiently  numerous),  but  he 
mstantly  seizes  on  some  unfortunate  tavern,  or  highway,  or 
church,  or  theatre,  or  somethmg  else  of  the  kind,  which  he 
pu  8  m  glarmg  contrast  with,  n     ^he  worst,  nor  the  middliuff, 
but  the  best  similar  object  in  his  own  countrj-.     Really  there 
must  be  somethmg  extraordinary  in  a  people,  who,  having 
had  so  much  to  do,  and  so  very  short  a  time  to  do  it  in,  havf 

ing  y  formidable  rivalry,  to  cie  of  the  oldest  and  wealthiest 
nations  of  Europe!  It  strikes  the  writer,  that,  wLe  these 
gentlemen  are  so  industriously  struggling  to  prove  the  exS! 
ence  of  some  petty  object  of  spleen,  they  prove  a  ^reat  mo^al 
truth  m  favour  of  America.  What  should  we  thik  oTth^ 
boy  whose  inteUect,  and  labours,  and  intelligence  tere  dLw„ 
into  bold  and  invidious  comparison  withthose  of !^ed "nS 
expenenced  men !  ■*        '"' 

The  wrikr  has  said  very  little  on  the  subject  of  tho  r.rA: 

i-':^lttzrtlt--_^^.*^^-ttions 

state.  Of  America,  he  shaU-he—  'hT.^  Z  'Z^f^ 


!     iil 


,/ 


XII 


PREFACE. 


how  the  tjfuth  is  to  be  affected,  or  the  fortunes  of  a  great 
people  matienaJly  varied,  by  the  dissatisfaction  of  this  or  that 
individual,  he  ha?  thought  it  safest  for  his  own  reputation  to 
Bvy  what  he  thinks,  without  taking  the  pains  to  ascertain  to 
how  mimy  it  may  be  agreeable,  or  to  how  many  ^isagreeaUe. 
Ife  has  avoided  personalities,  and  that,  as  a  traveller,  is  all  ha 
feels  bound  to  do,  and  hopes  he  shaU  always  do;  for  he  }$  not 
of  that  impertinent  class,  who  think  the  world  cannot  be  suf- 
ficiently enlightened  without  invading  i)fs  «IPfe4  precincts  /?f 
private  life  i;  han^ih}.,vt    .^ 

■.,f 


■   ■■■■   ■  'ijcyj, 

-■i','^-mit:(}iiii>iL 

:.Uihiiim'\  ''fi^ii 

■'.'■■... 

=.u*!l 'to  fanu;  ij&a 

'''yy>i-*-ic. 

.  ■        ;  "-^  rv  K  ;«r>rtii6ij 

■i      . 

'kj>\iHt-fiii-  •■■■     ,    .  ■ 

■'    .  mm^aiMi' 

i.t«f  >-:»«<           •-' 

'   :!:fer£»t|i; 

,  "♦iJj  ij.O  'jhHl 

*   '      .      •    * 

.i.i 


liGTTERS, 


TO  SIR  FREDERICK  WALLER,  BART. 

OF  SOMBKSETSHIRE,  KNOLAND. 


De.k  Waller,        '''"^''  ^'^^  *'""'  ^'  "^ 

Yon  are  to  express  no  astonishinent  at  the  ofece 
where  th.B  letter  is  dated.  I  confe.,  the  enga«S 
to  meet  you  under  the  walk  of  the  Seraglio  i^uthSr 
me  before  the 8in  of  forgetfiilnes,  shallle  too  S 
imputed  to  my  charge.  You  know  the  iiiveterate 
peregnnating  habits  of  the  club,  and  can  judge,  fr^m 
your  own  besetting  propensity  to  change  yoUr  «^ 
lence  monthly,  how  diMcult  it  might  Zve  to  rS 
he  temptation  of  traversing  a  soil  th\t  iS^^^"  „ 

t^Zt  P^"™"""'"**"?  feet  of  the  membe^lf  C 

fraternity  are  concerned.     In  a  word,  1  am  here 

awaiting  the  packet  for  America.    Before  you  JS 

*  1  bSnts'X"'  ""1  Y'"''^  ^«>^"^' 
run  oecween  us.     ihis  resolution,  seeminelv  so  nuA 


2  MEETING  WITH  A  TRAVELLING  COMPANION. 

invite  our  attention?  This  reproach  shall  exist  no 
longer.  If  resentment  against  so  much  apparent 
fickleness  can  ref  Jiin  the  while,  read,  and  you  shall 
knovir  the  reasons  v^^hy  you  are  left  to  wander,  alone, 
through  the  streets  of  Pera,  and  to  endure  sullen 
looks,  from  haughty  Turks,  without  the  promised  sup- 
port of  your  infidel  companion. 

On   the   road  between  Moscow  and  Warsaw,  I 
encountered  a  traveller  from  the  states   of  North 
America,     ^e  was  about  to  end  a  long  pilgrimage,  in 
Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa,  and  to  return,  eager  as 
a  discharged  Sviass,  to  the  haunts  of  his  youth,  in 
the  other  hemisphere.     He  appeared  like  one  who 
was  wearied  with  the  selfishness,  struggles,  and  fac 
titious  distinctions  of  our  eastern   regions.     Truly, 
there  was  something  so  naif,  and  yet  so  instructed— 
so  much  that  was  intellectual,  and  \yithai  so  simple — 
a  little  that  was  proud,  blended  with  something  phi- 
losophical, in  the  temperament  and  manner  of  this 
western  voyager,  that  he  came  over  my  fnncy  with 
the  freshness  of  those  evening  breezes,  for  which  you 
^yill  be  shortly  panting,  on  the  shores  of  the  Darda- 
nelles.   To  be  serious,  he  was  an  educated  and  a  gift- 
ed man,  with  a  simplicity  of  thought,  as  well  as  of  de- 
portment, that  acted  like  a  charm  on  my  exhausted 
feelings.    You  are  not  to  suppose  that,  at  fifty,  I  have 
fallen  into  the  errors  of  five-and-twenty,  and,  that  I 
am  about  to  become,  again,  a  convert  to  thrice-worn- 
out  opinions,  new  vamped,  under  the  imposing  name 
of  philosophy.    The  word  has  never  escaped  the  lips 
of  Cadwallader  (for  so  is  my  new  acquaintance  call- 
ed), even  in  the  gravest  of  his  moods. 

An  evening,  passed  in  the  company  of  this  Ameri- 
can, at  a  miserable  post-house  on  the  frontiers  of  Po- 
land, only  furnished  a  zest  for  the  week  in  which  it 
was  agreed  we  should  travel  together.  At  the  end  of 
that  week,  my  resolution  was  taken.  I  had  heard  so 
much  to  excite  curiosity— -so  much  to  awaken  thought. 


*. 


A  TRAVELLING  ARRAXGEMENT. 

in  channels  entirely  new,  that  nothing  short  of  a  VQji 
age  across  the  Atlantic  can  appease  my  longings,   it-^n? 
Neither  are  you  to  be  too  hasty  in  believing,  that 
my  companion  has  heen  soothing  my  ears  with  Ara- 
oian  imagery.    Nothing  can  be  farther  from  the  truth 
He  is  saturnme  by  nature,  and,  a  Frenchman  might 
add,  taciturn  to  a  fault.     From  a  certain  expression 
of  melancholy,  that  often  overshadows  his  counte- 
nance, J  should  think  he  had  long  been  familiar  with 
regrets,  which,  from  their  nature,  must  be  unceasmg. 
fetill,  I  find  great  equanimity  of  temper,  and  the  same 
calm,  deliberative  manner  of  considering  things   as 
if  he  deemed  himself  already  removed  from  most  of 
the  great  and  moving  interests  of  the  world.    Perhaps 
these  peculiar  and  individual  qualities,  in  some  mea- 
sure   quickened   the  desire  I  felt  to   examine   his 
icountiy.    I  would  give  much,  to  know  his  private  his- 
tory ;  but  I  never  before  associated  with  one  who 
was,  at  the  same  time,  so  communicative,  and,  vet  so 
reserved.  "^    '   " 

Jh  ^■'"rt,  I  found  this  calm,  reasoning  American  8<; 
'resh,  so  original  ,n  his  way  of  treating  things,  which 
bng  use  had  rendered,  to  my  imagination,  fxed  and 
hialterable  as  the  laws  of  naiure  themsel^^f ^d  "• 
hrect  m  the  apphcation  of  all  his  opinions  to  the  pract 
.ces  of  the  world,  that  I  early  became  alive  t^Xe 
desire  of  examining  a  state  of  society,  wWch  J  am 
fond  of  believing,  must  have  had  soj^  influence  " 
TZSt       "  ""'  independence  and  manlinel^ 

betwlrurth^f  '"'""^M  *e  Rhine,  it  was  arranged 
between  us,  that  we  should  cross  the  ocean  together- 
and  Cadwallader  promised  me  his  assisfamfe  and 
advice,  m  making  the  preparations  that  mSit  be 
^^^^b]^:  *" -"-J- *e  jouniey  both  conven";^Ud 

You  will  readily  imagine,  that,  with  the  intention 
passing  a  year  or  two  in  the  republics  of  S 


of 


4  ENGLISH  WORKS  ON  AMERICA. 

America,  my  curiosity  to  investigate  their  history  and 
institutions  has  not  been  suffered  to  slumber.     While 
in  London,  no  opportunity  of  inquiring  into  the  char- 
acter of  the  people,  or  of  supplying  myself  with  mat- 
ter of  proper  preliminarv  study,  was  neglected.    As  I 
believed  tiie  Endish  must,  of  necessity,  possess  a  bet- 
ter knowledge  of  their  transatlantic  kinsmen  than  any 
other  people  in  Europe,  I  was  diligent  in  storing  my 
memory  with  such  facts,  gleaned  from  the  most  ap- 
proved authorities,  as  might  aid  and  direct  my  inqui- 
ries.    By  dint  of  extraordinary  exertions,  I  soon  suc- 
ceeded in  collecting  a  little  library  of  travels,  pam- 
phlets, and  political  dissertations.     This  collection 
wag  scrupulously  kept  a  secret  until  complete,  when, 
anxious  to  impress  my  companion  with  a  favourable 
opinion  of  my  earnestness  in  the  research,  an  early 
opportunity  was  taken  to  lay  the  result  before  him, 
in  the  shape  of  a  handsome  display  on  the  shelves  of 
a  book-case.     Cadwallader  ran  his  eye  coolly  over 
the  titles,  and,  after  saying  a  few  words  in  commen- 
dation of  my  zeal,  he  appeared  disposed  to  leave  me 
to  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  my  acquisitions.     I  was 
struck  with  the  singular  air  of  indifference,  to  give  it 
no  harsher  term,  with  which  he  regarded  the  fruits  of 
my  hard  labour,  and  was  not  slow  to  ascribe  it  to  the 
fact,  that  I  had  omitted  those  works  of  native  origin, 
which  treated  on  tlie  same  subject.     In  order  to  re- 
move any  unfavourable  impressions   on  this  point, 
something  was  muttered  concerning  regrets  at  not 
being  able  to  procure  American  books  at  such  a  dis- 
tance from  the  place  where  they  were  printed,  with  an 
intimation,  that  on  our  arrival  at  New- York,  my  travel- 
ling library  would  of  course  be  completed.  Still  no  sign 
of  interest  was  elicited  from  the  cold  eye  of  my  com- 
panion.    He  left  me  with  another  compliment  to  my 
industry,  which,  I  am  obliged  to  confess,  was  pointed 
with  so  much  supererogatory  courtesy,  as  to  savour  a 
little  Qf  sarcasm.     Nothing  daunted,  however,  by  this 


'pn 
TI 


r  histonr  and 
iber.     While 
nto  the  char- 
ilf  with  mat- 
lected.    As  I 
possess  a  bet- 
nen  than  any 
n  storing  my 
the  most  ap- 
5ct  my  inqui- 
I,  I  soon  suc- 
ravels,  pam- 
is  collection 
iplete,  when, 
a  favourable 
•ch,  an  early 
before  him, 
le  shelves  of 
coolly  over 
in  commen- 
to  leave  me 
pns.     I  was 
:e,  to  give  it 
the  fruits  of 
ribe  it  to  the 
ative  origin, 
order  to  re- 
this  point, 
^ets  at  not 
t  such  a  dis- 
ited,  with  an 
k,  my  travel-  , 
Still  no  sign 
of  my  com- 
ment to  my 
ivas  pointed 
to  savour  a 
3ver,  by  this 


AN  ttONESt  TRAVELLEll. 


•n 


silent  but  intelligible  criticism,  no  time'wU'  lost  in 
turning  the  new  acquisitions  to  a  profitable  account 
Our  stay  m  London  was  unavoidably  prolonged  to 
three  weeks,  and  by  the  expiration  of  that  time  I  had 
travelled  over  no  small  portion  of  the  AmeS  te^ 

th7;olrd"noTh  ^i"'  °".P^P^^'  »"^  *'  ™te^too. 
autho^  of  rV^r  fi?"^  ^'r^^'^ '"  the  time-slving 
f^Tr.7  ^  "^^  themselves.     In  short,  the  opin- 

ZVJrT^  "f  '"■  r^"  ^"S"*  commeitators^on 

American  society  and  morals,  were  devoured  so  very 

greedily,  as  to  leave  little  or  no  leisure  for  a  proper 

digestion  of  the  knowledge  they  imparted.    But  oncl 

.possessed  of  sufficient  matter  fcr  reflection,?voy^ 

^f  three  thousand  miles  will  afford  abund^t  leS 

Bbr  rumination  and  digestion.  '  f^ 

Our  arrival  at  this  place  had  bepn  ««  «r„i'J  ^*^'  i' 

Recede  the  departur^  of  the  Jacket  L  a  few'd'v"  " 

itotmSHhl  attf7fT  ^"^^^ 

t e7to"S  Tt'/^^r^  "'  land.   A^^vetp^:; 
^  works  ofh./^  Y    ^    ^\  ^^^  "s»al  to  meet  in  the 

[of  A^irle';KSti«  ^"r""^  "^  *^  -*>•*-* 

dear  Waller  when  I  i^^tk  .  ^°"  ^"'^  "°'  *°  fro""), 
had  alreadv  b^e^il  .'  */'.^?°.  "^  °"'n  fulness 
most  of  m/„ewt  a  '  uired  f '*'  "  *^^  ^°°*^»*^  <>f 
torted  manner^/ ripS^  treasures,  a  certain  dis 

^all  favour  that  tbf^  '^^^'Pfi^  «'?«  *«  *« 


nat  the  books  seemed  to 


B2 


enjoy  in  the 


C  OPINIONS  OF  AN  AMERICAN. 

evc8  of  Cadwallader.  Under  the  expectation  that 
the  work  of  Mr.  Hp^on  would  afford  hup  pleasure, 
1  laid  ic  on  the  table  of  my  companion,  an^  begged 
that  he  would^bestow  on  its  perusal  a  few  of  fcse 
hours  for  which  I  knew  he  had  no  very  urgent  em- 

It  was  morning  when  he  was  put  in  possession  of 
tfte  book,  and  the  day  was  purposely  permitted  to 
pass  without  any  mterruption  from  me.  Late  at  night, 
1  entered  his  apartment,  and  found  him  occupied  in 
seahng  a  note  directed  to  myself.  As  this  letter  mav 
be  supposed  to  contain  the  sentiments  of  an  intelli- 
gent American  on  a  subject  which  may  not  be  with- 
out Its  interest,  I  shall  freely  copy  it.     It  may  pos- 

'll  ?^  f^^  expressions  that  are  not  quite  in  unison 
vnth  the  temper  of  an  Englishman ;  but  you,  as  a  man 
of  &e  world,  will  know  how  to  tolerate  independence 
ot  feeling,  and  are  far  too  wige  to  neglect  any  favour- 
able opportunity  of  acquiring  information  Aat  may, 
m  the  couree  of  events,  very  speedily  become  useful. 

1  in^y  haye  misconceived  your  interest  in  this  note : 
still  it  IS  curious,  as  containing  tjie  opinions  of  a  per- 
fectly disinterested,  and  certainly  an  instructed  Amer- 
ican. ^  It  may  also  serve  for  a  sort  of  preface  to  my 
own  disiomM  correspondence,  the  scattered  frag- 
ments of  which  shall  be  collected  at  our  regular  S- 
enmal  meeting,  >vhen  they  may  possibly  serve  to  en- 
liven the  gloom  of  a  December  day  in  Paris  * 

Forgive  me,  that  I  prefer  the  rising  sta^  of  the 
Western  Constellation  to  the  waning  moon  of  your 
lurk. — Adieu.  •' 

*  See  notd  A,  at  the  end  of  the  volume. 


'^rf^  tft-ft 


►ectation  that 
liim  pleasure, 
)  and,  begged 
few  of  tHose 
y  urgent  ^ifi- 

possession  of 
pennitted  to 
Late  at  night, 
I  occupied  in 
lis  letter  mav 
[)f  an  intelh- 
not  be  >vith- 
It  may  pos- 
lite  in  unison 
^ou,  as  a  man 
^dependence 
t  any  favour- 
>n  that  may, 
come  useful, 
in  this  no;te ; 
ons  of  a  per- 
ucted  Amer- 
•eface  to  my 
tttered  frag- 
r  regular  tri- 
serve  to  en- 
aris.* 

stars  of  the 
oon  of  your 


e. 


'=u:i: 


(7) 
TO  THE  BARON  VON  KEMPERFELT, 

CAPTAIN  m  THE  KAV¥  OF  HIS  NETHERLANDS  MAJESTF. 

At  Sea,  August,  1824.  • 

As  I  know  that  Sir  Edward  has  given  you  a  meet- 

^ing  at  Rome,  I  shall  presume  you  acquainted  with 

J  the  change  m  my  platis,  no  less  than  with  the  new 

travelhng  companion  with  whom  accident  has  made 

me  acquamted.     Of  all  our  associates  I  could  gladly 

iiave  chosen  you,  my  dear  baron,  for  a  co-adventurer 

h  this  distant  excursioh.  There  is  so  much  of  the 
true  maritime  spirit  in  the  people  I  am  about  to  visit, 
that  your  expenence  and  observation  would  have 
Droved  both  useful  and  pleasant  assistants  to  my 
)wn  comparative  ignorance.  Still,  I  flatter  myself 
that  a  life  of  adventure,  and  fifty  voyages  by  sea,  fur- 
nish some  few  of  the  qualifications  necessary  for  the 
"ask  I  have  assumed. 
Cadwallader  took  the  direction  of  all  our  arranee- 

lents  into  his  own  hands ;  and  well  has  he  dischamed 
the  trust.    But  the  mdividual  enterprise  of  the  Ameri- 

feThp'fl  ^^y^'^  ^'n^  ^^.^^^  "^*"^  ^^  ^«  performed 
by  the  traveller.  Capacious,  beautiful,  and  excellent 
^ships,  sail,  on  stated'days,  between  many  of  the  Eu- 
ropean  ports  and  their  own  country.  This  system 
of  arrangement  so  important  to  commercial  int/rests, 
and  so  creditable  to  the  efforts  of  a  young  state  is 
«aid  to  be  extended  still  further.  Lines  of  packefa 
as  they  are  termed,  also  exist  between  New- York 

most  of  the  arger  havens  of  their  own  sea-board 

Ihey  are  not  straitened,  filthv  Jnr-nnxronio^f  „ i. 

such  as   too   often   aspire  to  convey  passengers  in 
Europe;  but  ships  that  are  no*  only  commolous  to 


i'li?^jtt 


-i.t\ 


8 


ships'  cookerv. 


a  degree  I  could  not  have  anticipated,  but  even 
gorgeo.,8  .1.  many  of  their  ornaments  and  equipments. 
The  sea,  at  the  best,  to  those  who,  like  myself,  fail 
of  Its  true  inspiration,  is  but  a  desolate  and  weary 
abiding  place,  but,  as  much  as  possible  seems  effect- 
ed in  this  ship  towards  hilling  one  into  a  fometfulness 
of  Its  disagreeables.  Should  I  venture  to  hazard  a 
cnUcism  on  so  delicate  a  subject,  it  would  be  to  say, 

fetJif^hT  '"''  *e  "'•"»«*  judgment  is  inani- 
tested  in  the  manner  and  nature  of  our  food.  It  U 
vain  to  expect  the  dainties  of  tlie  land,  in  any  perfec- 

feciliZ  "  \*'"'T"'*  r'*'^  ''™'»  "«  numterless 
t»Si?™'/"^*^""^  P"""""'  '^^O""'  >neagre  and 

a  t^nTrH/  /  *  ^amboose,  can  never  equal  that  of 
a  well-ordered  and  scienti6c  cuisine.     There  is  a  sort 

dl^the  J  ,t°>„-  ■  ■""'*  f/""'  P^''-^-'"".  -W-^h  ren- 
ders them  ambitious  o(  demonstrating  Uieir  perfect 
equality  with  the  occupants  of  terra  firma  LikT» 
beauty  on  the  declined  would  ra-TnTontinu^U.^  , 
chams  of  other  days  and  other  scenes,  when  commbn 
sense,  which  in  these  matters  is  tast^  wouIdTSch 
them  that  the  fitness  of  things  embraces  t  me  and 
place.     In  the  midst  of  sea-sickness  and  nau™   the 

ttn  ' ■/'  "°i7V^  "™^'"8  ("'  «'<»  acquaintance^ 
though  It  might  be  tempted  by  the  instigation  of 
.lovelties      On  this  principle,  I  think,  alwL  wi?h 
deep  and   reverential   de&rence,  tha    you   saiC 
specially  m  passages  that  do  not  exceed  a  nS' 
should  endeavour  to  purchase  your  culinarv  renown 
by  sea-pies  and  chowdei-s,  and  other  dishei  thaT^re 
in  good  nautical  keeping,  instead  of  emuTatiit  the 
savoury  properties  of  roast  beef  and  pouhtsXl 

iectthatalan'S"'"""'-  Enough,  ho4ver,  in  a  sTb- 
ject  that  a  landsman  can  never  approach,  but  he  i, 
suspected  of  an  intention  of  !,t->r,ll,,  f»i.T!:_'.u  "/.  "^  ". 
out  of  your  mouths."  —     •'  ""'"*S"'«  "Weaa 

At  Liverpool  I  was  struck  with  the  number  of 


AMERICAN  COMMERCE. 


9 


Led,   but  even 
id  equipments, 
ce  myself,  fail 
te  and  weary 
B  seems  eflfect- 
a  forgetfulness 
e  to  hazard  a 
>uld  be  to  gay, 
iient  is   mani- 
ir  food.     It  \» 
in  any  perfec- 
ts numberless 
meagre   and 
exercise;  and 
equal  that  of 
Phere  is  a  sort 
>n,  which  ren- 
tlieir  perfect 
fma.     Like  a 
continue  tlie 
vhQn  common 
would  teach 
ces  time  and 
i  nausea,  the 
cquaintances, 
instigation  of 
always  with 
you   sailors, 
;ed  a  month, 
nary  renown 
shes  that  are 
nulating  the 
lets^  in  lame 
er,  on  a  sub- 
h,  but  he  is 
guiti"  oread   j 


I  I 

I  veBsels  that  bore  the  American  ensign.     By  far  the 
greaterpart  of  the  immense  trade  which  exists  be- 
[tweeu  England  and  the  United  States,  is  carried  on 
Jrom  that  port;  and  it  was  evident  to  the  senses,  (a 
ract  which  inquiry  has  served  to  corroborate),  that 
an  undue  proportion,  or  rather  disproportion,  of  that 
trade,  18  conducted  under  the  flag  of  the  latter  coun. 
try.     No  political  restrictions,  to  prevent  a  perfect 
k-eciprocity  of  commercial  rights,  being  in  existence, 
Ihis  simple  circumstance  is  almost  enough,  in  itself  to 
^stebhsh  the  ability  of  the  American,  to  compete  suc- 
bessfuUy  with  the  Englishman,  in  navigation.     As  the 
lubject  IS  replete  with  interest,  and  most  probably 
Iregnant  with  facts  that  may  much  sooner  than  is 
Dw  dreamed  of,  effect  a  division  (if  not  a  transfer)  of 
^e  commerce,  and  consequently  of  the  wealth  of  the 
ivihzed  worid,  most  of  my  time,  during  the  passage, 
las  been  devoted  to  its  investigation.     Cad^J^lla^er 
N  not  only  well  supplied  with  documents,  but  lie  is 
^ch  m  knowledge  and  experience  on  matters  that  re- 
Pite  to  his  own  country;  and,  by  his  aid,  there  is 
me  reason  to  believe  my  industry  on  this  occasion, 
t  least,  has  not  been  entirely  thrown  away.    Worth- 
Bs,  or  not,  such  as  it  is  I  shall  offer  its  results,  with 
rZ^^""'^  ^'  ^"^  ^  inspection  of  your  professional 
\rhTl:    ■       ^"""^  "^j^^,  ^""^  ^"^^»  t<^  indulge  in 
ri  f  ^K  "^  "^r'  i  *^^  -^"^"'^  ^hen  allusion  is 
lade  to  the  golden   days  of  De  Ruyter  and  Van 
romp  the  subject  may  have  a  charm  of  its  own. 
The  tendency  to  the  sea,  which  the  American  has 
amfested  since  the  eariiest  of  the  colonial  establish- 
ing' '%T  ^''''^^  *^  ^"  "^^"bed  originally  to  the 
tTLt  ^'"  ''T'^'''''     Nothing  can  be  iore  a^ 
lurd,  however,  than  to  argue,  that  although  peculia^ 
ircumstances  drew  him  on  the  ocean,  durinrthe 
^Continuance  of  the  late  and  general  hostilitiP«  J  i;n 

IZvlL^'r^' t""^  ""^^T  ^»/  -«^  prairiesrnow  that 
competitors  for  the  profits  of  commerce  and  naviga- 


& 


0 


AMERICAN    NAVlOATrOlC. 


ti<9n  are  arising  amoiig  the  former  belligerents.     The 


ar; 


gument 
n 


»T 


utter 


raci 


e 


Ignorance  of  history 
and  sagacity  of  «  pe  . 
who  are  lever  tardy  to  discover  uieir  individual  in- 
tefrests.  It  is,  nof  vithstandrng,  often  urged  with  so 
much  pertinacfty,  a.  to  savour  much  more  of  the  con- 
clusions of  what  we  hope  for,  than  of  what  our  reason 
would  teach  us  to  believe.  The  fact  is,  there  never 
has  been  a  period,  since  society  was  first  firmly  organ- 
ized in  their  country,  when  the  Anglo-Americans  have 
not  possessed  a  tonnage  greater,  in  proportion  to  theii 
population  and  means,  than  that  of  any  other  peopKr 
some  of  the  small  commercial  cities,  perhaps,  alone 
excepted.  This  was  true,  even  previously  to  their 
revolution,  when  the  mother  country  monopolized  all 
of  trade  and  industry  that  the  temper  of  the  colonies 
would  bear,  and  it  is  true  now,  to  an  extent  of  which 
you  have  probably  no  suspicion.  The  present  popu- 
lation of  the  United  States  may  be  computed  at 
1 2,000,000,  while  the  amount  of  shipping  materially 
exceeds  1 ,400,000  tons.*  Assuming  that  amount,  how- 
ever, it  gives  one  ton  to  every  eight  and  a  half  of  the 
inhabitants.  The  tonnage  of  the  British  empire  is  in 
round  numbers,  2,500,000.  This,  divided  among  the 
23,000,000  of  the  British  islands  alone,  would  give 
but  one  ton  to  every  nine  of  the  inhabitants.  In  this 
calculation  the  vast  difference  in  wealth  is  forgotten. 
But  by  the  British  Empire,  we  are  to  understand 
Canada,  the  West  Indies,  and  all  th<^  va<^t  possessions 
which  are  tributary  lo  the  wealth  ann  er  of  that 

great  nation.  I  know  not  whether  iitc  bbt^^ping  em- 
ployed in  the  East  Indies  ought  to  be  enumerated  in 
the  amount  named.  If  it  is,  you  will  see  the  dispro- 
portion in  favour  of  America  is  enormous.  But  assum 
wsr^  that  it  is  not,  it  becomes  necessary  to  add  several 
MjI/ioTii::;  for  their  other  dependencies.    There  is,  how- 


*  On  the  JOth  Dec.  1826,  it  had  swelled  to  1,034,000» 


he 


rents.  The 
history,  no 
of  tt  people 
ndividiial  in- 
-ged  with  so 
e  of  the  con- 
it  our  reason 
there  never 
[irmly  oi^an- 
ericans  have 
rtion  to  theii 
•ther  people 
rhaps,  alone 
isly  to  their 
lopolized  all 
the  colonies 
int  of  which 
resent  popu- 
omputed  at 
;  materially 
mount,  how- 
1  half  of  the 
empire  is  in 
d  among  the 
would  give 
nts.  In  this 
is  foi^otten. 
understand 
t  possessions 
nver  of  thit 
1?  i'ping  em- 
umerated  in 
5  the  dispro- 
But  assum 
add  several 
lere  is,  how- 


EPPECTS  or  THE  NAVIGATION  LAWS.  H 

ever,  still  another  point  of  view  m  which  this  com- 
panson  should,  with  strict  justice,  be  madr.    A  larce 
proportion  of  the  people  -f  the  United  States  are  so 
.Hituated,  that  in  the  nature  of  things  they  cannot  turn 
.much,  It  any,  of  their  attention  t<   navigation.     ]tf  the 
slaves  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  new  states,  where  the 
establishments  are  still  too  infant,  to  admit  of  such  a 
jdevelopement  of  their  resources,  be  deducted  from  the 
-whole  iunount  of  the  population,  it  will  not  leave 
moie  than  7,000.000  of  souls  in  possession  of  those 
J.-lricts  in  which  navigation  can  be  supposed  at  all  to 
xist.     Ihe  latter,  too,  will  include  all  those  states 
lat  are  called  interior,  where  time  has  not  been  given 
effect  any  thing  like  a  natural  division  of  the  em- 
oyments  of  men.     The  result  will  show,  that  tlio 
mericans,  relatively  considered,  are  addicted  to  nav^ 
;ation,  as  compared  with  Great  Britain,  in  the  pro- 
ortion  of  more  than  seven  to  five ;  nor  has  this  com- 
lercial,  or  rather  maritime  spirit  arisen  under  auspices 

0  eocouraging  as  is.  generally  imagined. 

1  Ihe  navigation  laws,  adopted  by  the  United  States, 
soon  as  their  present  constitution  went  into  opera- 

pn,  are  generally  known.    Their  effect  was  to  bring 

e  shipping  of  the  country  into  instant  competition 

ith  tliat  of  foreign  nations,  from  the  state  of  tempo- 

try  depression  into  which  it  had  been  thrown  by  the 

truggle  of  the  Revolution.     From   that  hour,^the 

uperionty  enjoyed  by  the  American,  in  cheapness 

)t  construction,  provisions  and  naval  stores,  aided  bv 

,;he  unnyalled  activity,  and  practical  knowledge  of 

If  loTnnnT'  P^^/P/^^.^^S"  competition  at  defiance. 
Jt  606,000  tons  of  shipping  employed  in  1790,  in  the 
oreign  trade  of  the  country,  not  less  than  251  000 
ons^were  the  property  of  strangers.     In  1 794,  while 

.^IllZ'^'^i^y.  H^^Sners.     In  1 820  (a  year  of  ereat 
fCk-^u  ""^  iiic  traaegave  occupation  to  880,000  tons 
•f  which  no  more  than  79,000  tons  were  foreign  j,rc!^: 


',4 


'■       'Mi 


h 


13  DISPOSITION  TO  THE  SEA, 

erty.  This  estimate,  however,  includes  the  intercourse 
with  the  least,  no  less  than  that  with  the  most  maritime 
nation.  The  trade  between  the  United  States  and 
England,  which  is  the  most  important  of  all,  in  respect 
of  SShe  tonn?ige  it  employs,  was  about  three  to  one,  in 
favour  of  the  former ;  with  other  countries  it  varies 
according  to  the  maritime  character  of  the  people, 
but  with  all  and  each  it  is  altogether  in  favour  of  the 
United  States. 

Now,  one  would  think  these  simple  facts,  which 
have  withstood  the  tests  of  colonial  policy,  and  of 
political  independence ;  of  peace  and  of  war ;  of  a , 
fair  and  of  a  specious  neutrality ;  of  open  violence 
and  of  self-imposed  restrictions,  for  more  than  a  cen- 
tury, might  be  deemed  conclusive  of  the  ability  no  less 
than  of  the  disposition  of  the  Americans  to  continue 
what  they  now  are — a  people  more  maritime  in  their 
habits  and  pursuits,  compared  with  their  numbers, 
than  any  that  exist,  or  who  have  ever  gone  before 
them.     Still  there  are  real  or  pretended  sceptics.    It 
is  contended  that  a  continental  nation,  possessed  of 
territories  so  vast,  and  which  are  peopled  by  so  spare 
a  population,  cannot  continue  in  pursuits  to  which 
nature  and  interest  present  so  many  obstacles.     The 
proposition  is  somewhat  as  if  one  should  say,  Russia 
is  a  country  of  extensive  territory,  that  is  but  thinly 
peopled,  and  so  is  America.     Now,  as  Russia  is  not, 
neither  therefore  can  America  be  maritime.   Nor  are 
the  ai^uments  by  which  this  singular  proposition  is 
supported,  less  absurd  than  the  position  itself.     Not 
withstanding  the  obstinate,  glaring,  and  long-continued 
fact,  that  the  American  has  and  does  neglect  the  tillage 
of  his  vii^n  forests,  in  order  to  seek  more  congenial 
sources  of  wealth  on  the  ocean,  one  hears  it  hotly 
contended  every  day,  that  this  state  of  things  has  been 
created  bv  adventitious  circumstances,  and  must  cease 
as  the  influence  of  those  circumstances  ceases,  and 
that  of  others  shall  come  into  action.     You  are  told  < 


1 


DISPOSITION  TO  THE  JKA.  Jg 

fliat  America  has  such  an  interior  of  fertile  plains  as 
belongs  to  few  nations ;  but  you  ar«  not  reminded  by 
these  partisans,  that  she  also  possesses  such  an  extent 
of  coast,  such  rivers,  such  bays,  and  such  a  number 
of  spacious  ahd  commodious  havens,  as  are  the  prop- 
erty  of  no  other  people.  If,  in  reply,  you  venture  to 
say  ftat  as  England, L  so  bug  a  t^i^^^  most  com! 
mereial  and  maritime  nation  of  the  world,  is  indebted 
fn*.!r  =""'  '""J/e''§'<"'8  liberty  for  the  character  of 

o t  Jr**  •"^^'P"^  ***  *«  ••»'  «>  ^e"  earned, 
so  must  America,  possessing  these  inestimable  bless- 

E  '"  *  f     S'***''r  degree,  arrive  at  a  still  greater 

degree  of  commercial  and  maritime  prosperity,  the 

.answer  IS  ready.    England  h  an  island,  and  she  has 

an  overflowing  population.    Java  and  Japan,  Ceylon 

o?otK'^"=''"'f'"="y  "".^  Z^"''""'  »»d  hoSs 
ft  r.^  '  f  *  J^f  ''  ""•='>  '^'»°^'  «»  Great  Britain. 

msular  situahon  is  necessary  to  induce  a  people  to 
become  mantime,  since  there  is  a  superabundance 
of  population  in  all  the  islands  just  namei  EnXd 
^^iT  r'  "r ?"l'y  •"»■*■"«  until  the  re"|n  "? 

^s  liberty  which  has  made  her  what  she  is,  began  to 
e  felt  fairh'  and  generally  in  the  realm.  So  fc  S 
the  reign  of  Henry  VII.,  the  "world-seeking  GenoL'- 
was  compelled  to  find  a  patroness  to  his  mighty  ento- 
pnse  in  the  queen  of  an  iWrior  province  Jthe  Span 
'*  Peninsula!  Though  Turkey  in  Europe  is  not 
actually  washed  by  theVater  on  every  sEll  there 

m"r„v7»toT*r  l'"'='"f '"S  Greece)Vat%oss  *s  :: 
Th2f  h.  T  ^'^^""'''ges  for  commerce  and  navigation. 
That  her  flag  ,3  not  now  seen  in  every  sea,  is  to  be 

hertmlirfh*"  ^.r".'^'  ^^^^^'  which'envelojs 

and  the^Adriatic.  ""FrancT"'  ""™^"  '"'=  ''"""^ 
long  enjoyed  the  a( 


Vol  1 


lies  on  two  seas,  and  has 
ntages  of  science  and  great 


14 


DISPOSITION  TO  THE  SEA. 


t>t 


% 


1 1    m 


intelligence;  aud  yet  France,  considered  with  refer- 
ence to  her  civilization  and  resources,  is  but  a  second- 
ary power  in  respect  to  commerce  and  navigation. 
If  she  has  had  fleets,  tliey  have  not  been  the  healthful 
and  vigorous  offspring  of  her  trade,  but  were  main- 
tained, as  they  were  created,  by  the  more  sickly 
efforts  of  political  care.    Does  any  man  believe,  were 
the  Pyrenees  ind  Alps  another  channel,  that  the  con- 
dition of  France,  in  this  particular,  would  be  materi- 
ally altered?  The  talents,  and  science,  and  enterprise 
of  France,  have  hitherto  been  mainly  pressed  into  the 
employment  of  the  government.     In  whatever  they 
have  arrived  at  perfection,  they  have  been  concen- 
trated m  order  to  consolidate  the  power  of  the  state, 
instead  of  being  dispersed  to  effect  that  vast  ace  amii- 
lation  of  individual  prosperity  which  constitutes  the 
real  wealth  of  nations.     Precisely  as  the  situation  of 
^ngland  offers  an  exception  to  this  general  rule,  just 
in  that  degree  has  there  been  a  misapplication  also 
of  her  advantages.     In  the  one  instance,  a  mighty 
aristocracy  has  been  created ;  in  the  other,  as  mighty 
a  despotism.     The  latter  country  has  now  become 
constitutional ;  and  though  she  has  to  contend  against 
long  and  inveterate  habits,  a  national  temperament 
created  by  those  habits,  and  many  of  the  obstacles  of 
what  may  almost  be  termed,  in  this  respect,  an  infant 
condition,  I  think  it  will  be  found  that  she  will  become 
more  commercial,  and  consequently  more  maritime, 
precisely  as  her  institutions  bec(  me  more  free.     The 
secret  of  all  enterprise  and  energy  exists  in  the  prin- 
ciple of  individuality.     Wealth  does  not  more  infalli- 
bly beget  wealth,  than  the  right  to  the  exercise  of  our 
laculties  begets  the  desire  to  use  them.    The  slave  is 
everywhere  indolent,  vicious,  and  abject;  the  free- 
man  active,  moral,  and  bold.     It  would  seem  that  is 
the  best  and  safest,  and,  consequently,  the  wisest  gov- 
ernment, which  is  content  rather  to  protect  than  direct 
the  national  prosperity,  since  the  latter  system  never 


id  with  refep- 
but  a  secondr 
d  navigatioQW 
the  healthful 
t  were  main- 
more  sickly 
believe,  were 
that  the  con- 
lid  be  materi- 
nd  enterprise 
Bssed  into  the 
hatever  they 
been  concen- 
'  of  the  state, 
vast  accumii' 
institutes  the 
e  situation  of 
ral  rule,  just 
plication  also 
ce,  a  mighty 
er,  as  mighty 
now  become 
ntend  against 
temperament 
!  obstacles  of 
set,  an  infant 
will  become 
re  maritime, 
e  free.     The 
i  in  the  prin- 
more  infalli- 
:ercise  of  our 
The  slave  is 
:t;  the  free- 
seem  that  is 
B  wisest  gov- 
;t  than  direct 
jstem  never 


DISPOSITION  TO  THE  SEA.  fjf 

fai%  to  impede  the  efforts  of  that  individuality  which 

makes  men  industrious  and  enterprising.   As  all  qu^. 

ions  of  politics  are,  however,  so  peiflctly  pSS 

rJnl  ^L^'^*^*,?  ^^"'^^"g  onVarticular^^S 
mente,  they  ^ould  ever  be  considered  with  direct 
reference  to  the  varied  conditions  into  wS  abuse 

will,  is  it  wise,  or  is  it^^S:,  to  d^  S,  ^ 
cause  they  are  vast,  the  very  results  which  are  admit 
Jed  to  be  produced,  in  a  lesser  dewee  bv  a  sttf^nf 

jaie  feelings  of  most  of  oOr  eastern  poIitickL    %i^" 
Amencin  himsef,  familiar  with  tk/,:!  ,. 

froveme-ts  of  his'oZ  time  1  w^hlT  "-AL"!: 
Js  wrought  them,  and  S  lliS^ft  f ^X^  ^ 

Cn.T      ^  ?  "^"S  lus  Wishes  to  the  level  of  fZ 

k/L        1?  """^^"^^a^  because  power,  or  neces^iK. 
|r2ri  tS:  "T  raveTif  T'h  ''  -*"Si 

dear  Baron  on  this  sublet     iT   ''''.^'""t  *''"f''*' 
is  disposed  of  w^hMrf.^'      ^"  "  "  *  *eme  Siat 

forte  theLXs  on  tr.:i:.::r„!!'l!EP--t,-  'hey 
much  as  may  be  by  the  situation  ii 


jM  _ 


which  I  have 


6 


DISPOSITION  TO  THE  SEA. 


nr 


i 


Deen  accidcBtally  thrown.   Notwithstanding  that  I  am 
already  deeply  impressed  with  the  opinion  that  Ame- 
nca  18  to  be  the  first  maritime  nation  of  the  earth,  it 
would  be  unpardonable  ignorance  to  deny  that  the 
^eat  causes  which  are  Hkely  io  induce  this  division, 
n  not  transfer,  of  commercial  ascendancy,  are  liable 
to  many  quahfying  and  counteracting  obstacles.   Most 
ot  these  minor  circumstances  were  either  beyond  the 
mvestigations  of  a  stranger,  or  it  exceeded  my  know- 
ledge of  Amencan  history,  to  estimate  the  extent  ol 
their  influence.    With  a  view  to  throw  as  much  light 
as  possible  on  the  inquiry,  J  have  addressed  a  few 
questions  to  my  travelhng  companion,  and  have  re- 
ceived his  answers,  which  are  transcribed  for  your 
benefit.    If  they  are  coloured  by  national  partialities, 
a  nian  ot  your  age  and  experience  ought  to  be  able 
to  detect  them ;  and  if,  on  the  other  hand,  they  are 
just  and  reasonable,  it  is  due  to  oarselves  and  the 
truth,  to  admit  their  force.     You  will  at  once  per- 
ceive, Aat,  m  putting  my  queries,  I  have  been  gov- 
erned by  those  points  which  one  hears  pressed  the 
most  when  the  European  is  willing  to  turn  his  eyes 
Irom  the  contemplation  of  more  interesting,  because 
more  famihar,  objects,  in  order  to  inquire  into  the  new 
order  of  things,  that  is  almost  insensibly,  though  so 
rapidly,  woricmg  a  change  in  the  comparative  condi- 
tiims  of  the  different  states  of  Christendom.    You  wil! 
bnd  iny  queries,  with  their  answers,  inclosed.*  Neither 
our  situations  nor  inclinations  admitted  that  the  one 
or  the  other  should  be  very  elaborate. 

There  is  a  cry  of  land,  and  I  must  hasten  on  deck 
to  revel  m  the  cheerful  sight.   Adieu.  - 


*  See  note  B»  at  end  of  the  volume. 


i*p 


yiK^fj] 


iding  that  I  am 
lion  that  Ame- 
f  the  earth,  it 
deny  that  the 
J  this  division, 
icy,  are  liable 
stacles.   Most 
Br  beyond  the 
led  my  know- 
the  extent  ot 
as  much  light 
ressed  a  few 
and  have  re- 
bed  ibr  your 
d  partialities, 
bt  to  be  able 
wid,  they  are 
Ives  and  the 
at  once  per- 
e  been  gov- 
pressed  the 
urn  his  eyes 
ting,  because 
into  the  new 
y,  though  so 
rative  condi- 
n.    You  will 
ed.*  Neither 
that  the  one 

^ten  on  deck 


(  17) 


TO  THE  BARON  VON  KEMPERFELT, 


&c.  ice. 


-ai 


— .y\iiyji 


ti 


.  . ,  New- York, 

I  THREW  aside  my  pen  abruptly,  dear  Baron  in 
order^to  catch  a  first %iew  of  America.  There  Z 
something  so  imposing  in  the  sound  of  the  wordJ! 
conhnenl,  that  I  beHeve  it  had  served  to  lead  me  into 

nV?,H    ^^  '^'^*  '°.'""'*'-     ^y  '•'«»«  °f  this  remote 

nd  little  known  moiety  of  the  world,  have  ever  been 

,10  vague  and  general,  that  I  confess  the  folly  of  S 

ng  expected  to  see  the  land  make  its  appearance  e„ 

Ce"    rtr^A^'^'^'^  worthy  otZiZ'^^i^ 

iWdMhlrestTf  thf  I'T"'?  '""S  "ccustJed^ 
ivme  tne  rest  oi  the  globe  into  parts,  and  to  thirik 

^them  m  their  several  divisions  of  countries  3 

provinces,  that  one  expects  to  see  no  more  of  eadf 

^t  a  coup  rf'..,^,  than  what  the  sight  can  embrace.* 

,^hoi«.  'tHu.  one  lal  J'of  TSa^e  tTZtZ'^lflf'^'i 
'of  America  and  even  of  the  nponi^  ^„a  ^^^"^^-  of  the  soil 
(meaning  always  the  co„tir„t^oo?and  no'Thrf?  ^America! 
J  No  doubt  there  are  thousands  whn  t«  u  I.  ^"''^**  States.) 
i«  a  good  deal  of  truth  inZ thrr  °  X  J^'''  '^"V*"^  '^«^« 
amused,  durhig  his  voyage  bv  hl^;;  J  1  "*^'"  '"""^  frequently 
Americans)  relate  theTdfciloL  StaLs  t^h^r^^^'^  (™°«"? 
^Europeans,  otherwise  vvelUnfomed  wW^  ^^""^  ^'^^  "''^*'« 
subject  of  the  transatlantic  con"  nent  '  ^T^^.f" '^^"ve"?"^  on  the 
different  sides  of  the  eauatnr«^lf         Countries  which  lie  on 

and  people,  betwernXm^h^etatf^r^^^ 

ligion,  government,  language,  or,  indeed  S^l^^  of  manners,  re- 

strangely  blended  in  onf  an^d  'the  same1^f„r^i^^i"£f>  "° 
^u  ^r^  an  every-day  occurrence,  for  Americans^tn'ho"""'"  ^^?"* 
made  concerninff  individuals   l«t^t2!  *°  "*^®  inquiries 

have  ...  .„  eierrir:p.L7SLr„'ita^^ 


18 


EXTRAVAGANT  EXPECTATIONS. 


Now,  ridiculous  as  it  may  seem,  I  had,  unaccount- 
ably, imbibed  the  impression  that  America  was  to  ap- 
pear, at  the  first  glance,  larger  to  the  senses  than  the 
little  island  I  had  left  behind  me.  You  are  at  perfect 
liberty  to  make  yourself  just  as  merry  as  you  please 
at  this  acknowledgment ;  but,  if  the  truth  could  be 
fairly  sifted,  I  have  no  doubt  it  would  be  found  that 
I  most  European  adventurers,  who  seek  these  western 

^1  regions,  have  formed  expectations  of  its  physical  or 

moral  attributes,  quite  as  extravagant  as  was  my  own 
ii  unfortunate  image  of  its  presence,     I  have  taken  the 

disappointment  as  a  salutary  admonition,  that  a  trav- 
eller has  no  right  to  draw  these  visionary  scenes,  and 
then  quarrel  with  the  people  he  has  come  to  visit, 
because  he  finds  that  he  has  seen  fit  to  throw  into  a 
strong  light,  those  parts  which  nature  has  every  where 
been  pleased  to  keep  in  shadow ;  or  to  colour  highest 
the  moral  properties,  which  the  same  wise  dame  has 
sagaciously  kept  down,  in  order  that  those  qualities, 
which  it  has  been  her  greatest  delight  to  lavish  on 
man,  may  for  ever  stand  the  boldest  and  most  promi> 
nent  in  her  own  universal  picture. 

Instead  of  beholding,  on  reaching  the  deck,  some 
immense  mountain,  clad  in  a  verdant  dress  of  luxu- 
riant and  unknown  vegetation,  lifting  its  tall  head  out 
of  the  sea,  and  imperiously  frowning  on  the  sister 
element,  my  first  view  was  of  that  same  monotonous 
waMe  with  which  my  eyes  had  been  sated  to  weari- 
ness, during  the  last  three  weeks.  The  eager  question 
of  "  Where  is  America  ?"  was  answered  by  Cadwal- 
lader,  who  silently  pointed  to  a  little,  blue,  cloud-like 
mound,  that  rose  above  the  western  horizon  in  three 
or  four  undulating  swells,  and  then  fell  away  to  the 
north  and  to  the  south,  losing  itself  in  the  water.     1 


th^ir  own  places  of  residence,  just  as  if  the  Dane  should  be  ex- 
pected to  answer  interrogatories  concerning  the  condition  of  a 
farm  situate  on  the  Po ! 


PtRST  APPEAEANCIC  OF  tHE  COAST.  19 

believe  1  should  have  expressed  my  disappointment 
aloud,  but  for  the  presence,  and,  more  particularly, 
for  the  air  of  my  companion.  His  eye  was  riveted 
on  the  spot  with  all  the  fondness  of  a  child  who  is 
I  greeting  the  countenance  of  a  well-beloved  parent 

fLt^^^ri-H    Tu,^^^  ^*  penetrated  far  beyond 

those  httle  hills  of  blue,  and  that  it  was  gifted  with 

power  to  roam  over  the  broad  valleys,  vast  lakes,  and 

ftijousand  rivers  of  his  native  land.    'l  fancied  thatts 

Rm^.^Hrf'  'P'"*  ''^'  r^^^P*^  ^ W^"g  ^^^'^  scenes 

InL.        K-  u^FT''^  ^^r^*'  of  abundance,  and  of 

peace,  which  lie  has  so  often  assured  me  eist,  b^ 

Lyond  a  parallel,  within  her  bordere.    Perhaps  a  secret 

.onsciousness  of  my  own  absurdity,  came  in  season 

Uso,  to  prevent  so  unfortunate  an  exposure  of  mv 

igh-wrought  expectations.  ^  ^ 

The  season  of  the  year,  a  soft,  balmy,  southerlv 

)reeze  and  the  air  from  the  land,  how^^were^d^ 

iorleVTtf  S^^^^"-o--     The  littl^Sck 
r^nl  T f         '''^?  '"*'^^'*  mountains ;  and  then  a 
range  of  low,  sandy,  and  certainly  not  inviting  coast 

tiew^^Th"^  "-«g  t'^g  the  western  maSofTe 
f  ^    K-  u^^  '^^."^^^  ^^^^^d  ^i«i  a  hundred  sails  ^ 

waters.     From  time  fo  *,»«^    ii?     I^     ^^^  native 
aboard  of,  o^Le^l  fhi     f'  ^^eyjhrew  pilots  on 

uiiiuiaung  expectations.       *  —    •"-  .w^  i«usi 


It 


was 


not  long  before  a  beautiful  little  sloop,  of 


20 


ASKING  FOR  NEWS. 


14' 


formation  and  rig  quite  different  from  any  I  had  ever 
before  seen,  came  skimming  the  waves  directly  in  oiir 
track.   Her  motion  was  swift  and  graceful,  and  likely 
to  bring  us  soon  within  speaking  distance.     It  was 
a  hshmg  smack,  out  of  which  the  cajrtain  was  dis- 
posed to  obtain  some  of  the  delicious  bass  that  are 
said  to  abound  on  certain  banks  that  lie  along  this 
,  coast.     We  were  disappointed  of  our  treat,  for  the 
nsherman  answered  the  signal  by  intimating  that  he 
had  sold  the  last  of  his  stock,  but  the  manoeuvres  of 
the  two  vessels  brought  us  near  enough  to  hail.     « Is 
there   any  news  ?"   roared  the  captain,  through  his 
trumpet,  while  we  were  gliding  past  each  other.  The 
answer  came  against  the  breeze,  and  was  nearly  in- 
distinct.    The  words  "  Cadmus  in,"  were,  however, 
affirmed  by  more  than  one  eager  listener,  to  form  part 
of  the  reply.     Every  body  now  pressed  about  our 
commander,  to  inquire  who  or  what  was  this  Cadmus 
and  what  he  or  she  might  be  in  ?     But  the  captain 
was  not  able  to  gratify  our  curiosity.     Cadmus  was 
the  name  of  a  ship  in  the  French  trade,  it  seemed, 
and  formed  one  in  a  line  of  packets  between  Havre 
and  New- York,  just  as  our  own  vessel  did  between 
the  latter  port  and  Liverpool.     "It  is  not  surprising 
that  she  should  be  in,"  continued  our  honest  com- 
mander, "for  she  sailed  on  the  13th,  whereas,  we  only 
got  clear  of  the  land,  as  you  well  know,  gentlemen, 
on  the  1 8th  of  the  same  month  ;  a  passage  of  one  and 
twenty  days,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  cannot  be  called 
a  bad  one."     As  it  was  quite  evident  the  ideas  of  the 
worthy  seaman  were  in  a  channel  very  different  from 
our  own,  we  were  fain  to  wait  for  some  more  satis- 
factory means  of  arriving  at  the  truth.     Another  op- 
portunity was  not  long  wanting.     A  lai^e  coasting 
schooner  passed  within  two  hundred  feet  of  us.   A  tar 
was  standing  on  her  quarter-deck,  both  hands  thrust 
iiiio  the  bosom  of  his  sea-jacket,  eyeing  our  ship  with 
a  certain  understanding  air  that  need  not  be  explained 


my  I  had  ever 
directly  in  our 
jful,  and  likely 
ance.     It  was 
rtain  was  dis- 
bass  that  are 
lie  along  this 
treat,  for  the 
nating  that  he 
nanoeuvres  of 
to  hail.     "  Is 
I,  through  his 
h  other.  The 
vas  nearly  in- 
ere,  however, 
,  to  form  part 
ed  about  our 
this  Cadmus 
t  the  captain 
Cadmus  was 
e,  it  seemed, 
tween  Havre 
did  between 
lot  surprising 
honest  com- 
reas,  we  only 
S  gentlemen, 
^e  of  one  and 
mot  be  called 
3  ideas  of  the 
liiferent  from 
e  more  satis- 
Another  op- 
irge  coasting 
of  us.   A  tar 
hands  thrust 
>ur  ship  with 
be  explained 


COlTJECTURfiS.  21 

of  Neptune.   This  individual  proved  to  be  thi  ma.ter 

"Any  new:'?"'  »?1,'°  «n.  ojir  captain  again  Tared 
Any  news  I      "Ay,  ay;  all  alive  up  in  the  bar  » 

T  ^  rr"'  J^^  ^«»»*  ««>«  sw^eepiii  by  eTch 
*er  with  tantalizing  rapidity,  and  wiLut  pay'™ 
he  customary  deference  to  nautical  etiquette  sbmf 
«  or  seven  of  the  passengers  united  fn  ttgZT 
IS  with  one  voice,  "  What  news,  what  news  ""^The 
nvious  winds  again  bore  away  the  answerof  which 

tdwIjlH^'^'"'^  "l  ""  '"''*'"*y>  I  »«°«"fe''  to  ask 
ist  1  tn  ;'      K- 1"  ""  '"Portant  election  had  not 

1!T!^tLu!""uT'^  '^r""**  "™esake  of  the 

under  of  Thebes  had  proved  successful.     This  snr 

»-8e,  however,  was  not  treated  with  an^  partrcu?ar 

inference,  and  then  we  wrpp  Ufi  ITa   "  P"™'"'*' 

mtannc^^f       1  •  •       .  "ere  len  to  devise  our  own 

fc^SS*'^''"''' -•''''' "^^-^^^ 

Irl'trTa'ef ''^rh'Ph?'i''T"S  "toadily  to- 
*tinction  tTtil'i  ^^  '""^  ^Wch,  in  contra- 

Smdreds  J  li     '°"'',^'«dy  beach,  that  extends  four 

&'reSfcetf"g^:veS^.'  "^'  T^^^ 

pd*a  la^rbuoy  w^s  se^!  T  •°''°  ^1'^"'^  ^"''^' 
>e  unquiet  waterT  to  S  ^i!'"''^  and  setting  with 

i>mforts  of  th.  u'r  ^J'i^e^^e  harbinger  of  the 
l^-weallpresserare^^lirrS-^add, 


^5#^^ 


22 


LA   FAYETTE. 


I    il 


the  solution  of  our  recent  doubts,  and  to  hear  the 
tidings  of  another  hemisphere. 

I  was  struck  with  the  singular  air  of  exultation  with 
which  this  sturdy  marine  guide  delivered  himself  of 
the  intelligence  with  which  he  was  evidently  teem- 
ing.    To  the  usual  question,  he  gave  a  quick  answer, 
and  in  nearly  the  same  language  as  the  seaman  of  the 
fishing-smack.     "  Cadmus  in,"  again  rung  in  our  ears, 
without  leaving  us  any  w  ser  than   before  we  had 
heard  the  inexplicable  words.     "  She  has  been  long 
enough  from  Havre,  to  be  out  again,"  retorted  our 
captain,  with  a  dryness  that  savoured  a  little  of  dis- 
content.    "  If  you  think  so  much  of  the  arixval  of  the 
Cadmus  in  thirty  days,  from  Fr:  rce,  what  wiil  you  say 
to  that  of  my  shipy  in  twenty^one,  from  Liverpool  ?" 
"  Your  owners  may  be  glad  to  see  you,  but  then, 
youVe  npt  got  the  old  man  aboard."    "We  have 
them  here  of  all  ages  :  and,  what  is  far  better,  some 
of  both  sexes !"  returned  one  of  the  passengers,  throw- 
ing a  glance  at  the  interested  l*^  itures  of  a  beautiful 
young  creature,  who  was  eagerly  listening  to  catch 
the  syllables  that  should  first  impart  intelligence  from 
her  native  country.     "  Ay,  ay ;  but  you  have  no  La 
Fayette  in  the  ship."     "La  Fayette!"  echoed,  cer- 
tainly every  American    within    hearing.     "Is   La 
Fayette  arrived  ?"  demanded  Cadwallader,  with  the 
quickness   of  lightning,  and  with  an  animation  far 
greater  than  I  had  ever  given  him  credit  for  possess- 
ing.    "  That  is  he,  safe  and  well.     He  has  been  on 
the  island  with  the  vice-president  since  yesterday. 
This  morning  he  is  to  go  up  to  town,  where  he  will 
find  himself  a  welcome  guest.     The  bay  above  is 
alive,"  our  guide  concluded,  jerking  his  thumb  over 
one  shoulder,  and  looking  as  if  he  were  master  of  a 
secret  of  some  importance.    Here,  then,  was  a  simple 
and  brief  explanation  of  the  event  on  which  we  had 
been  exercising  our  faculties  for  the  last  two  hours. 


*ji 


^i_. 


WW 


d  to  hear  the 

ixultation  with 
ed  himself  of 
vidently  teem- 
quick  answer, 
seaman  of  the 
ng  in  our  ears, 
eforc  we  had 
has  been  long 
'  retorted  our 
a  little  of  dis- 
5  arrival  of  the 
at  wiil  you  say 
m  Liverpool  T*^ 
ou,  but  then, 
'  "  We  have 
r  better,  some 
engers,  throw- 
of  a  beautiful 
ining  to  catch 
elligence  from 
►u  have  no  La 
'  echoed,  cer- 


ng- 


'•Is   La 


ader,  with  the 
animation  far 
lit  for  possess- 
?  has  been  on 
ice  yesterday, 
where  he  will 
bay  above  is 
is  thumb  over 
re  master  of  a 
,  was  a  simple 
which  we  had 
m  two  hours. 


INTEREST  or  THE  AMERICANS.  gj 

La  u  "^  6"^'  J"''  ment  oned,  were  disfonin^ 

^d  her  pretty  lip  was  actually  quiS  w  th  S 
hn.    A  suiular  interest  in  the  event  wa^mTnSe^t^^ 

Di"P,  wno  Claimed  the  land  we  were  aoDroachinff  o- 
pie  country  of  his   hirfK      tk«      '^  <»Pproaciiing  as 

-.de  of  dfscoLent  <J.'t  inlttra^^^Jr^ 
ve  portion  of  the  crew  suspended  aieir7»h!^,     i" 

ra^d  ;^r'  '-"'^  "'*  »Vnt^^  o/Sc^ 

•at  on  with  which  th.  r    V^       "*'  """y  a««la- 
klcomelySu    fnSif''  "^'""^n  «'«  apt  to 

Crated  exc^atf"'  hkl'^fc^^hth^ar^- 
e  manners  of  most  of  ih^  ^^  ^/"cn  cftaractenze 

Wope.  in  their  mr-^klLts^X^e  """"  "' 

nth  the  resJlr   t  Li  rtTft"''*'  ^^u'''"''"*^^ 
irty  years.  La  F^vIhITJ     .     ''"®'"  *"  absence  of 

'hat  he  had  reached  a  L"*"*'''*'^"  '"'''"  ''ame. 
™s  would  ahke  be  odLT  •^  •''H'^  ^^'"^  and 
:ently  manifest'^  fen  t'^?!'.!!.'!""'--  »* 
couia  not  butlehcitatp  mv.oi/'  "u  ^'"""«  me;  and 
-ohavearHvedar™S'S.^r;^^ofo«^^^^^^ 


I. 


SPECULATIONS. 


iople,  who  are  often 
e\y  impressions,  and 


94 

of  the  sir  tnger  emotions  of 
accused  of  insensibility  to  all 

most  of  whose  thou^ts,  like  their  time,  are  said  to 
be  occupied  in  heediul  considerations  of  the  future. 
Here  was,  at  least,  an  occasion  to  -awaken  recollec- 
tiona  of  the  past,  and  to  elicit  something  like  a  popu- 
lar display  of  those  generous  qualities  which  consti- 
tute, what  may  not  improperly  be  called,  the  chivalry 
of  nations.  It  would  be  curious,  also,  to  observe,  how 
far  political  management  was  mingled,  in  a  perfect 
democracy,  with  any  demonstrations  of  pleasure  it 
might  be  thought  expedient  to  exhibit,  or  m  what  de- 
gree the  true  popular  sentiment  sympathized  with  feel- 
ings that,  in  one  section  of  the  earth,  are,  as  you  well 
know,  not  unfrequently  played  off  by  the  engines  of 
govemniental  power. 

I  was  not  sorry,  therefore,  to  listen  to  the  plans  of 
my  companion.  A  boat,  in  the  employment  of  the 
journals  of  the  city,  was  by  this  time  alongside  the 
ship,  and  having  obtained  the  little  news  we  had  to 
impart,  it  was  about  to  return  into  the  haven,  in  or 
der  to  anticipate  the  arrival  of  the  vessel,  which  was 
likely  to  be  delayed  for  many  hours  by  a  flat  calm 
and  an  adverse  tide.  In  this  boat  it  was  proposed  that 
we  should  take  passage,  as  far,  at  least,  as  the  place 
where  La  Fayette  had  made  his  temporary  abode. 
The  earnestness  with  which  Cadwallader  pressed  this 
plan,  was  not  likely  to  meet  with  any  objections  from 
me.  Tired  of  the  ship,  and  eager  to  place  my  foot 
on  the  soil  of  the  western  world,  the  proposal  was  no 
sooner  made  than  it  was  accepted.  The  boat  was 
instantly  engaged  for  our  exclusive  benefit,  and  the 
necessary  preparations  made  for  our  departure. 

And  now  a  little  incident  occurred,  which,  as  it 
manifests  a  marked  difference  in  the  manners,  and 

rtOplloTka  in   4-l>£k    <'l-»or<i/»+<i*^    rkf   fVirvcA  x»rV>rt    inViaVkif    fnlS 

republic,  and  the  possessors  of  our  own  Europe,  I 
shall  take  the  liberty  to  introduce. 


^;  thei 


vho  are  often 
)re8sions,  and 
e,  are  said  to 
►f  the  future, 
ten  recollec- 
;  like  a  popu- 
which  constj- 
I,  the  chivalry 
observe,  how 
,  in  a  perfect 
►f  pleasure  it 
►r  in  whst  de- 
zed  with  feel- 
B,  as  you  well 
le  engines  of 

» the  plans  of 
y^ment  of  the 
alongside  the 
ws  we  had  to 
haven,  in  or- 
j1,  which  was 
y  a  flat  calm 
proposed  that 
,  as  the  place 
)orary  abode. 
;r  pressed  this 
yections  from 
place  my  foot 
)posal  was  no 
Fhe  boat  was 
nefit,  and  the 
parture. 
,  which,  as  it 
manners,  and 

vn  Europe,  I 


YOUNG    AMERICAN    OIRL. 


f5 


T  have  already  mentioned  a  fair  creature  as  being 
among  our  passengers.     She  is  of  that  age  when,  in 
our  eyes,  the  sex  is  most  alluring,  because  we  know 
it  to  be  iho  most  innocent.     1  do  not  think  her  years 
can  much  exceed  seventeen.     Happily,  jour  Belgic 
temperament  is  too  mercurial  to  require  a  tincture  of 
romance  to  give  interest  to  a  simple  picture,  in  which 
delicacy,  feminine  beauty,  and  the  most  commendable 
mgenuousness,  were  admirably  mingled.    Neither  am 
I,  albeit,  past  the  time  of  day-dreams,  and  wakeful 
nights,  so  utterly  insensible  to  the  attractions  of  such 
a  being,  as  to  have  passed  three  weeks  in  her  society 
without  experiencing  some  portion  of  that  manly  iiC 
Jerest  in  her  welfare,  which,  I  fear,  it  has  been  my 
^vil  fortune  to  have  felt  for  too  many  of  the  syrens  in 
;eneral,  to  permit  a  sufficient  concentration  of  the 
entiment,  in  favour  of  any  one  in  particular.     I  had 
ertamly  not  forgotten,  during  the  passage,  to  manifest 
proper  spirit  of  homage  to  the  loveliness  of  the  sex, 
^  n  the  person  of  this  young  American  ;  nor  do  I  think 
plat  my  manner  failed  to  express  a  prudent  and  saving 
ilegree  of  the  admiration  that  was  excited  by  her 
fentle,  natural,  and  nymph-like  deportment,  no  less 
Ihan  by  her  spirited  and  intelligent  discourse.     In 
thort--but  you  were   not   born  in  Rotterdam,  nor 
reared  upon  the  Zuy  der  Zee,  to  need  a  madrigal  on 
such  a  topic.    The  whole  affair  passed  on  the  ocean 
and  as  a  nautical  man,  you  will  not  fail  to  compre-' 
hend  It.    Notwithstanding  I  had  made  every-  effort  to 
appear,  what  you  know  1  really  am,  sufficiently  ami- 
able,  dunng  the  voyage,  and,  notwithstanding  Cad- 
wal  aderhad  not  given  himself  any  particular  trouble 
on  the  subject  at  all  it  was  not  to  be  denied  that 
there  was  a  marked  distinction  in  the  reception  of 

r™'!?!?^*:f  r^'^r^  ""f  ^^'^  "^^^^«  i»  his  favour. 
I  ^.y.x,^.=3  tiiiii,  tuT  a  long  time,  l  was  disposed  (in  the 

entire  absence  of  all  better  reasons)  to  ascribe  this 

prefereiu-e  to  an  illiberal  national  prejudice.     Still,  it 

»  vh.     I,  J) 


ir' 


26 


SUSPICION. 


was  only  by  comparison  that  I  had  the  smallest  ra 
tional  grounds  of  complaint.  But  a  peculiarly  odious 
quality  attaches  itself  to  comparisons  of  this  nature. 
There  is  a  good  deal  of  the  Caesar  in  my  composition, 
as  respects  the  sex ;  unless  I  could  be  first  with  the 
Houries,  1  believe  I  should  be  willing  to  abandon 
Paradise  itself,  in  order  to  seek  pre-eminence  in  some 
humbler  sphere.  I  fear  this  ambitious  temperament 
has  been  our  bane,  and  has  condemned  us  to  the 
heartless  and  unsocial  life  we  lead  !  Our  fair  fellow 
passenger  was  under  the  care  of  an  aged  and  invalid 
grandfather,  who  had  been  passing  a  few  years  in 
Italy,  in  pursuit  of  health.  Now,  it  is  not  easy  to 
imagine  a  more  cuttingly  polite  communication,  than 
that  which  this  vigilant  old  guardian  permitted  be- 
tween me  and  his  youthful  charge.  If  I  approached, 
her  joyous,  natural,  and  enticing  (I  will  not,  because 
a  little  piqued,  deny  the  truth.  Baron,)  merriment 
was  instantly  changed  into  the  cold  and  regulated 
smiles  of  artificial  breeding.  Nature  seemed  banished 
at  niy  footstep:  and  yet.it  was  the  artlessness  and 
irresistible  attractions  of  those  fascinations,  which  so 
peculiarly  denote  the  influence  of  the  mighty  dame, 
that  were  constantly  tempting  me  to  obtrude  my 
withering  presence  en  her  enjoyments.  With  Cad- 
wallader,  every  thing  was  reversed.  In  his  society, 
she  laughed  without  ceasing;  chatted,  disputed,  was 
natural  and  happy.  To  all  this  intercourse,  the  lynx- 
eyed  grandfather  paid  not  the  smallest  attention.  He 
merely  seemed  pleased  that  his  child  had  found  an 
agreeable,  and  an  instructive  companion ;  while,  on 
the  contrary,  there  existed  so  much  of  attractiveness 
in  our  respective  systems,  that  it  was  impossible  for 
me  to  approach  the  person  of  the  daughter,  without 
producing  a  corresponding  proximity  on  the  part  of 

Something  nettled  by  a  circumstance  that,  to  one 
who  is  sensible  he  is  not  as  interesting  as  formerly, 


!W  years  in 
not  easy  to 
cation,  than 
Tmitted  be- 
ipproached, 
lot,  because 
merriment 
d  regulated 
ed  banished 
essness  and 
IS,  which  so 
ighty  dame, 
>btrude  my 
With  Cad- 
his  society, 
sputed,  was 
e,  the  lynx- 
ention.  He 
id  found  an 
;  while,  on 
tractiveness 
possible  for 
;er,  without 
;he  part  of 

hat,  to  one 
s  formerly, 


AMERICAN    CUSTOMS.  ^J 

really  began  to  grow  a  little  personal,  I  took  occasion 
to  joke  Cadwjillader  on  his  superior  happiness,  and 
to  felicitate  myself  on  the  probability,  that  I  might 
yet  enjoy  the  honour  of  officiating,  in  my  character 
of  a  confirmed  celibite,  at  his  nuptials.    He  heard  me 
without  surprise,  and  answered  me  without  emotion. 
'•  I  thought  the  circumstance  could  not  long  escape 
one  so  quick-sighted,"  he  said.     "  You  think  I  am 
better  received  than  yourself?    The  fact  is  indisput- 
able ;  and,  as  the  motive  exists  in  customs  that  dis- 
tinguish us,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  from  every 
other  people,  I  will  endeavour  to  accoimt  for  it.     In 
no  other  country,  is  the  same  freedon-of  intercouiae 
between  the  unmarried  of  the  two  sexes,  permitted, 
as  in  America,  hi  no  other  Christian  country,  is  there 
,  more  restraint  imposed  on  the  communications  be- 
'  tvveen  the  marrfed:  in  this  particular,  we  reverse  the 
usages  of  all  other  civilized  nations.     The  why,  and 
the  wherefore,  shall  be  pointed  out  to  you,  in  proper 
time;  but  the  present  case  requires  its  own  explana- 
tion.    Surprising,  and   possibly  suspicious,  as   may 
seem  to  you  the  easy  intercourse  I  hold  with  my 
j  young  countrywoman,  there  is  nothing  in  it  beyond 
jwhat  you  will  see  every  day  in  our  society.     The 
^father  permits  it,  because  /  am  his  countryman,  and 
he  is  watchful  of  you,  because  you  are  not !   Men  of 
my  time  of  life,  are  not  considered  particularly  dan- 
'^erous  to  tlie  affections  of  young  ladies  of  seventeen, 
for  unequal  matches  are  of  exceedingly  rare  occur- 
rence among  us.    And,  if  I  were  what  \  have  been," 
he  added,  smiling,  «  1   do  not  know  that  the  case 
would   be   materially  altered.     In   every  thing  but 
years,  the  grandfather  of  the  fair  lsabel,'know8  that 
1  am  the  equal  of  his  charge.     It  would  be  quite  in 
(he  ordinary  course  of  things,  that  a  marriage  should 
grow  out  of  this  communication.  Ninety-nine,  in  one 
himdred,  of  our  family  connexions,  are  formed  very 
much  in  this  manner. '  Taste  and  inclination,  rather 


M 


THE    LITTLE    ISABEL. 


guided,  than  controlled,  by  the  prudence  of  older 
heads,  form  most  of  our  matches  ;  and  just  as  much 
freedom  as  comports  with  that  prudence,  and  a  vast 
deal  mor€  than  you  probably  deem  safe,  is  allowed 
between   the  young  of  the  two  sexes.     We,  who 
ought  to,  and  who  do  know  best,  think  otherwise 
Women  are,  literally,  our  better  halves.  Their  frailty 
is  to  be  ascribed  to  the  seductions  of  man.  In  a  com- 
munity like  ours^  where  almost  every  man  has  some 
healthful  and  absorbing  occupation,  there  is  neithe*- 
leisure,  nor  inclination,  to  devote  much  time  to  un- 
worthy pursuits.     I  need  not  tell  you  that  vice  must 
b^  famihar,  before  it  ceases  to  be  odious.  In  Europe 
a  successful  intrigue  often  gives  eclat,  even  to  an 
otherwise  contemptible  individual ;   in  America,  he 
must  be  a  peculiarly  fortunate  man,  who  can  with- 
stand its  odium.     But  the  abuse  of  youth  and  inno- 
cence   with  us,  is  comparatively  rare  indeed.     In 
consequence,  suspicion  slumbers;  voila  touV 

"But  why  this  difference,  then,  between  you  and 
me?"  I  demanded.  -Why  does  this  Cerberus  deep 
only  while  you  are  nigh  ?  1  confess  I  looked  for 
higher  courtesy  m  a  man  who  has  travelled." 

"It   is   precisely   because   he  has  travelled;'  my 
fnend  interrupted,  a  little  dryly.    ^'^But  you  can  con- 
sole yourself  with  the  expectation,  that  those  of  his 
countrymen,  who  have  never  quitted  home,  will  be  less 
vigilant,  because  less  practised  in  foreign  manners." 
This  introduction  brings  me  to  my  incident   *  \i 
was  no  sooner  known  that  we  were  about  to  quit  the 
ship,  than  a  dozen  longing  faces  gathered  about  us. 
Uur  example  was  followed  by  others,  and  one  or 
two  more   boats   from   the   land   were  engacjed  to 
transport  the  passengers  into  the  bay,  in  Order  that 
they  might  witness  the  reception  of  La  Fayette     I 
had  observed  a  cloud  of  disannninfmAnf  ^^  ih-*^"-- 
brow  of  the  little  Isabel,  from  the  moment  our  inten- 
tions  were  known.   The  circumstance  was  mentioned 


GREAT    CONriDfiNCE. 


^d 


to  Cadwallader,  who  was  not  slow  to  detect  its  rea- 
son.    After  a  little  thought,  he  approached  the  grand- 
i  father,  and  made  an  offer  of  as  many  seats,  in  our  own 
Iboat,  as  might  be  necessary  for  the  accommodation  of 
f  his  party.     It  seems  the  health  of  the  old  man  would 
not  permit  the  risk.  The  offer  was,  therefore,  politely 
kleclmed.     The  cloud  thickened  on  the  brow  of  Isa- 
fbel ;  but  It  vanished  entirely  when  her  aged  grand- 
father proposed  that  she  should  accompaJiy  us,  at- 
tended by  a  maid,  and  under  'the  especial  protection 
lot  my  companion.     In  all  this  arrangement,  singular 
J^s  It  appeared  to  my  eastern  vision,  there  was  the 
utmost  simplicity  and  confidence.    It  was  evident  by 
^he  tremulous  and  hesitating  assent  of  the  young  lady 
fiat  even  the  customs  of  the  country  were  slightly 
Invaded ;  but,  then,  the  occasion  was  deemed  suffi- 
fciently  extraordinary  to  justify  the  innovation.     «So 
much  for  the  privileges  of  two  score  and  five,''  whis- 
^lered  Cadwallader,  after  he  had  handed  his  chaise 
into  the  boat.     For  myself,  I  admit  I  rejoiced  in  an 
omen  that  was  so  flattering  to  those  personal  preten- 
ions  which,  in  my  own  case,  are  getting  to  be  a  Httle 
fc^'eakened  by  time.     Before  closing  this  relation,  of 
^'hat   1   consider  a  distinctive  custom,  it  is  proper 
10  add,  that  had  not  the  parties  been  of  the  very 
highest  class  of  society,  even  far  less  hesitation  would 
'iuue  been  manifested;  and  that  the  little  reluctance 
"fexhibited  by  Isabel,  was  rather  a  tribute  paid  to  that 
f  retirmg  delicacy  which  is  (liought  to  be  so  proper  to 
her  sex,  than  to  the  most  remote  suspicion  of  any 
positive  impropriety.    Had  she  been  a  young  married 
woman,  there  would,  probably,  have  been  the  same 
httle  struggle  with  timidity,  and  the  sanve  triumph  of 
the  curiosity  of  the  sex.     But  the  interest  which  our 
fair  companion  took  in  the  approaching  ceremony 

' ' '  • "  "  ^"^r^\  "f'"'''    "  ''^'^  P^^^"'  ^y  ^^<^''  sparkhng 

eyes  and  flushed  features,  that  a  more  worthy  senti- 

D  2  ^ 


li   i 


LEAVING    THE    SHIP. 

ment  was  at  the  bottom  of  her  impulses — it  was  al- 
most  patriotism. 

Behold  us  then  in  the  boat ;  Cadwallader,  the  gen- 
tie  Isabel,  and  our  three  attendants,  and  impelled ^by 
•  the  vigorous  arms  of  four  lusty  watermen.   We  were 
still  upon  the  open  sea,  and  our  distance  from  the  city 
not  less  than  seven  leagues.    The  weather,  however, 
was  propitious,  and  our  little  bark,  no  less  than  its 
crew,  was  admirably  adapted  to  inspire  confidence. 
The  former  was  long  and  narrow,  but  buoyant,  and 
of  beautiful  construction,  being  both  light  and  strong. 
The  latter,  it  appears,  are  of  a  class  of  watermen,  that 
are  renowned  in  this  country,  under  the  name  of  White- 
hallers.  1  have  every  reason  to  believe  their  reputation 
is  fairly  earned;  for  they  urged  the  boat  onward  with 
great  speed,  and  with  the  most  extraordinary  ease  to 
themselves.    I  remarked,  that  their  stroke  was  rather 
short,  and  somewhat  quick,  and  that  it  was  made  en- 
tirely with  the  arm,  the  body  remaining  as  nearly  up- 
right as  possible  when  the  hmbs  are  exerted.  At  first,  I 
thought  these  men  were  less  civil  than  comported  with 
their  condition.  They  touched  their  hats  to  us,  it  is  true, 
on  entering  the  boat,  but  it  was  rather  too  much  in  the 
manner  of  a  salutation  of  equality ;  at  least,  there  was 
no  very  visible  manifestation  of  a  sense  of  inferiority. 
Closer  observation,  however,  furnished  no  additional 
grounds  of  complaint.     Their  whole  deportment  was 
cwil,  nor,  though  far  from  humble,  could  it  be  termed 
in  any  degree  obtrusive ;  still  it  was  not  precisely 
European.     There  seemed  no  sin  of  commission,  but 
something  of  omission,  that  was  offensive  to  the  es- 
tablished  superiority  of  a  man  of  a  certain  number 
of  quarterings.     Perhaps  I  was  more  ahve   to  this 
jealous  feeling,  from  knowing  that  I  was  in  a  repub- 
hcan  country,  and  from  the  fact,  that  I  had  so  recently 
quitted  one  where  the  lower  classes  bow  more,  and 

tne  nicrhf^r  Ipse    4hon  orv«>rv>%^ — „  _i.T r^i     ...  '      , 

jy._ ..  ,„„,j  aiix^uj^aiij  yuier^nnsnan  people 


Ito 


rORTIFICATIONS. 


ies — it  was  al- 


31 


The  strokesman  of  the  boat  took  some  interest  in 
seeing  us  all  properly  bestowed.     With  the  utmost 
coolness  he  appropriated  the  best  place  to  Isabel,  and 
i^hen  with  the  same  sang  froid  intimated  that  her  at- 
endant  should  occupy  the  next.     Neither  was   he 
Ignorant  that  the  object  of  his  care  was  a  domestic, 
pv  he  called  her  '  the  young  woman,"  while  he  dis- 
tinguished her  mistress  as  "the  young  lady."     I  was 
K  little  surprised  to  see  that  Cadwallader  quietly  con- 
eded  the  place  to  this  Abigail ;  for,  during  the  pas- 
age,  the  distinctions  of  master  and  servant  always  had 
^een  sufficiently  observed  between  all  our  passeneers 
even  ventured  to  speak  to  him  on  the  subject,  in 
[erman,  of  which  he  has  a  tolerable  knowledge 
Notwithstanding  all  that  the  old  world  has  said  of 
self  on  this  subject,"  he  coolly  answered,  "you  are 
lowm  the  true  Paradise  of  women.     They  receive 
erhaps,  less  idolatry,  but  more  manly  care  here,  than 
^  any  country  I  have  visited."  Truly,  Baron,  I  begin 
deem  the  omens  propitious  ! 

After  passing  at  a  short  distance  from  the  low  sandy 
•omt  already  named,  we  were  fairly  within  the  estu- 
ry.     This   bay  is    of  considerable   extent,   and   is 
unded  on  the  north  and  on  the  south  by  land  of 
me  elevation.     It  receives  a  river  or  two  from  the 
^  est,  and  IS  partially  protected  from  the  ocean,  on 
.le  east,  by  a  low  beach,  which  terminates  in  the 
)oint  named,  and  by  an  island  on  the  opposite  side 
'f  the  entrance.    The  mouth  is  a  few  miles  in  width 
.ossessi.ng  several  shallow  channels,  but  only  one  of  a 
lepth  sufficient  to  admit  vessels  of  a  heavy  draught. 
I  lie  latter  are  obliged  to  pass  within  musket-shot  of 

If^^fr'   ;    ""Pf.'  ^*'  ^°^^'  ^^  '^ »«  here  called.    Thence 
■to  the  city,  a  distance  of  some  six  leagues,  the  naviga- 
^tion  IS  so  intricate  as  to  render  a  pilot  indispensable. 
1  he  rums  of  an  imperfect  and  insignificant  milita.ir 

gov.rnment  is  seriously  occupied  in  erecting  more 


w 


32 


HARITAN  BAY. 


formidable,  fortifications,  some  of  which  were  shortly 
visible.  A  shoal  was  pointed  out,  on  which  it  is  con- 
templated  to  construct  an  immense  castle,  at  a  vast 
expense,  and  which,  with  the  other  forts  built  and 
building,  will  make  the  place  impregnable  against  all 
marine  attacks.  J  have  been  thus  diffuse  in  my  de- 
tails,  dear  Baron,  because  I  believe  every  traveller 
has  a  prescriptive  right  to  prove  that  he  enters  all 
strange  lands  with  his  eyes  open  ;  and,  because  it  is 
quite  out  of  my  power  to  say  at  what  moment  your 
royal  master,  the  good  king  William,  may  see  fit  to 
send  you  at  the  head  of  a  fleet  to  regain  those  posses- 
sions, of  which  his  ancestors,  of  the  olden  time,  were 
ruthlessly  robbed  by  the  cupidity  of  the  piratical 
English ! 

I  presume,  that  renowned  navigator,  the  indefatiga- 
ble Hudson,  laboured  under  some  such  delusion  as 
myself,  when  his  adventurous  bark  first  steered  within 
the  capes  of  this  estuary.     My  eyes  were  constantly 
bent  towards  the  west,  in  expectation  of  seeing  the 
spires  of  a  town,  rearing  themselves  from  the  water 
which  still  bounded  the  view  in  that  direction.     The 
boat,  however,  held  its  course  towards  the  north, 
though  nothing  was  visible  there,  but  an  unbroken 
outline  of  undulating  hills.     It  seems  we  were  only 
in  an  outer  harbour,  on  a  magnificent  scale,  which 
takes  its  name  (Raritan  Bay)  from  that  of  the  princi- 
pal river  it  receives  from  the  west.    A  passage  through 
the  northern  range  of  hills,  became  visible  as  we  ap- 
proached  them,  and  then  glimpses  of  the  cheerful 
and  smiling  scene  within   were  first  caught.     This 
passage,  though  near  a  mile  in  width,  is  a  strait,  com- 
pared with  the  bays  within  and  without,  and  it  is  not 
improperly  termed  "  the  Narrows."     Directly  in  the 
mouth  of  this  passage,  and  a  little  on  its  eastern  side, 
arises  a  large  massive  fortress,  in  stone.  wn«bPfj  V^v  fli^ 
water  on  all  its  sides,  and  mounting  some  sixty  or  sev- 
enty pieces  of  heavy  ordnance.    The  heights  on  the  ad- 


h  were  shortly 
i^hich  it  is  con- 
astle,  at  a  vast 
brts  built  and 
ible  against  all 
Fuse  in  my  de- 
very  traveller 

he  enters  all 
1,  because  it  is 
moment  your 
may  see  fit  to 
i  those  posses- 
en  time,  vs^ere 

the   piratical 

^he  indefatiga- 
h  delusion  as 
steered  within 
3re  constantly 
of  seeing  the 
>m  the  water 
ection.     The 
3s  the  north, 
an  unbroken 
A^e  were  only 
scale,  which 
of  the  princi- 
ssage  through 
ble  as  we  ap- 
the  cheerful 
aught.     This 
a  strait,  com- 
,  and  it  is  not 
i  recti  J  in  the 
eastern  side, 

J   "'"^ 


TRAIT  OF  CHARACTER. 


33 


joining  shores,  are  also  crowned  with  works,  though 
i/of  a  less  imposing  aspect.  The  latter  are  the  remains 
|of  the  temporary  defences  of  the  late  war,  while  the 
kbrmer  constitutes  part  of  the  great  plan  of  permanent 
[defence.  Labourers  are,  however,  unceasingly  cm- 
iployed  on  the  new  forts. 

I     The  shores,  on  both  hands,  were  now  dotted  with 
jmarine  villas  and  farm-houses,  and  the  view  was  alive 
Iwith  all  the  pleasing  objects  of  civilized  life.    On  our 
left,  a  little  distance  above  the  passage,  a  group  of 
'louses  came  into  view,  and  some  fifty  sail  were  seen 
inchored  in  the  oiling.    "  That,  then,  is  New- York !" 
'  said,  with  a  feeling  a  little  allied  to  disappointment. 
ly  companion  was  silent,  for  his  thoughts  kept  him 
umb,  if  not  deaf.    "  Gentlemen  are  apt  to  think  they 
let  into  the  heart  of  America  at  the  first  step,"  very 
fcoolly  returned  our  strokesman ;  "  we  are  eight  good 
fniles   from  Whitehall  slip,  and  that  village  is  the 
|uarantine  ground."    This  was  said  without  any  visi- 
ble disrespect,  but  with  an  air  of  self-possession  that 
)roved  our  Whitehaller  thought  it  a  subject  on  which 
ong  experience  had  given  him  a  perfect  right  to  be- 
tow  an  opinion.     As  I  felt  in  no  haste  to  take  the 
jcond  step  into  a  country  where  the  first  had  proved 
)  unreasonably  long,  I  was  fain  to  await  the  develope- 
lent  of  things,  with  patience.     My  companions  did 
lot  manifest  any  disposition  to  converse.     Even  the 
)etite  Isabel,  though  her  strong  native  attachments 
lad  been  sufficiently  apparent,  by  her  previous  dis- 
Icoursc,  wab  no  longer  heard.     Like  our  male  com- 
fpanion,  a  sentiment  of  deep  interest  in  the  ensuing 
j  scene,  kept  her  silent.     At  length  the  exclamation  of 
I"  there  they  come !"  burst  from  the  hps  of  Cadwalla- 
|der ;  and  there  they  did  come,  of  a  certainty,  in  all 
[the  majesty  of  a  fine  aquatic  procession,  and  that  too 
Oil  a  scale  of  magnificence  that  was  admirably  suited 
to  the  surrounding  waters,  and  as  an  American  would 
also  probably  say,  "  to  the  occasion."     In  order  that 


bi 


NEW-YORK    HARBOUR. 


j'ou  may  form  a  better  idea  of  the  particular  scene, 
it  is  necessary  that  I  should  attempt  a  description  of 
aome  of  its  parts. 

The  harbour  of  New- York  is  formed  by  a  junction 
of  the  Hudson  with  an  arm  of  the  sea.     The  latter 
connects  the  waters  of  Raritan  Bay  with  those  of  a  - 
large  sound,  which  commences  a  few  leagues  further 
eastward,  and  which  separates,  for  more  than  a  hun- 
dred miles,  the  state  of  Connecticut  from  the  long 
narrow  island  of  Nassau.     The  Americans  call  this 
district  Long  Island,  in  common  parlance;  but  I  love 
to  continue  those  names  which  perpetuate  the  recol- 
lection of  your  former  dominion.    Some  six  or  seven 
rivers  unite  hero  to  pour  their  waters  into  a  vast  basin, 
of  perhaps  sixty  or  seventy  miles  in  circuit.     This  ' 
basin  is  subdivided  into  two  unequal  parts  by  a  second 
island,  which  is  known  by  the  name  of  Staten,  another 
memento  of  your  ancient  power.     The  Narrows  i: 
the  connecting  passage.     The  inner  bay  cannot  be 
less  than  twenty  miles  in  circumference.    It  contains  * 
three  or  four  small  islands,  and  possesses  water  enough 
for  all  the  purposes  of  navigation,  with  good  anchor- 
age in  almost  every  part.    The  land  around  it  is  low, 
with  the  exception  of  the  hills  near  its  entrance,  and 
certain  rocky  precipices  of  a  very  striking  elevation 
that  on  one  side  line  the  Hudson,  for  some  miles,  com- 
mencing a  short  distance  from  its  mouth. 

On  the  present  occasion  every  thing  combined  to 
lend  to  a  scenery,  that  is  sufficiently  pleasing  of  itself. 
its  best  and  fullest  effect.    The  heavens  were  without 
a  cloud;  the  expanse  beneath,  supporting  such  an  arch 
as  would  do  no  discredit  to  the  climate  of  sunny  Italjl 
herselfl    The  bay  stretched  as  far  as  eye  could  reach, | 
like  a  mirror,  unruffled  and  shining.     The  heat  was  ' 
rather  genial  than  excessive,  and,  in  fine,  as  our  im- 

siinnat\vo.   vnuno-  r'OP">"nni'^»^    r»r>p*-i'"nll»'    -^^^ — ~ J  J' 

.__ _  ^. .^   .  t,8..^,„s„.„,    j.-tfCtivcinj    cAjyicoscu  it, 

"  the  very  airs  were  loyal,  nor  had  the  climate  forgot- 
ten  to  be  true  to  the  feelings  of  the  hour !" 


THfi  SUBDUED  MANNER  OP  THE  AMERICANS.         35 

It  is  necessary  to  have  seen  something  of  the  ordi- 

rily  subdued  and  quiet  manner  of  these  people,  in 

•der  tc  enter  fully  into  a  just  appreciation  of  the 

^mmon  feeling,  which  certainly  influenced  all  who 

,  ere  with  me  in  the  boat.    You  probably  know  that 

|e  in  Europe  are  apt  to  charge  the  Americans  with 

feing  cold  of  temperament,  and  little  sensible  of  lively 

ipressions  of  any  sort.     I  have  learnt  enough  U 

ow,  that  m  return,  they  charge  us,  in  gross,  with 

»ng  in  a  constant  state  of  exaggeration,  and  with 

icting  sentiments  we  do  not  feel.     I  fear  the  truth 

1  be  found  as  much  with  them  as  against  them.    It 

Iways  hazardous  to  judge  of  the  heart  by  what  the 

uth  utters ;  nor  is  he  any  more  likely  to  arrive  at 

i  truth,  who  believes  that  every  time  an  European 

vvs  his  teeth  in  a  smile,  he  will  do  you  no  harm, 

"r  flu,"?*"*  ^*^o  thinks  the  dog  that  growls  wiU 

infallibly  bite     I  believe,  afterTll,  it  must  be  con- 

ded,  that  sophistication  is  not  the  most  favourable 

■ence  possible  for  the  cultivation  of  the  passions. 

»  man  is,  in  common,  more  imperturbable  than  the 

erican  savage ;  and  who  is  there  more  terrible  in 

anger,  or  niore  firm  in  his  attachments?  Let  this 

as  it  may,  these  republicans  certainly  exhibit  their 

vTZr    '''"'  1^  "f  ""^jy  ^^^™^*i^  "tanner.    I  had 

ver  before  seen  Cadwallader  so  much  excited,  and 

^  his  countenance  manifested  thought,  rather  than 

►y.     Determined  to  probe  him  a  litde  closer,  I  ven- 

^ted?«T'l"''V^'.""*"^^  ^^^h^«^  ties  whfch 
uted  La  Fayette,  a  foreigner,  and  a  native  of  a  coun- 

r  that  possesses  so  little  in  manners  and  opinions  in 
ducaled  ^'"''''^  "^^^"^  ^^  ^^'  ^^™  ^"^ 

.,    ,,  ,3  ^^jg^^  ^^j  nature,  principles  which 

rhouXhlbit'^'!?  ''^''''^''  "^  oJ  own^reation 
though  habit  and  education  do  place  wide  and  fre- 


36 


LA    PAYETTE. 


18,5/; 


quently  lamentable  barriers  between  the  sympathies 
of  nations,  he  who  has  had  the  address  to  break 
through  them,  without  a  sacrifice  of  any  natural  duty, 
possesses  a  merit,  which,  as  it  places  him  above  the 
level  of  his  fellow-creatures,  should,  and  will  protect 
him  from  their  prejudices.  It  is  no  small  part  of  the 
glory  of  La  Fayette,  that  while  he  has  taken  such  a 
hold  of  our  affections  as  no  man  probably  ever  before 
possessed  in  those  of  a  foreign  nation,  he  has  never, 
for  an  instant,  forgotten  that  he  was  a  Frenchman. 
In  order,  however,  to  appreciate  the  strength  and  the 
reasons  of  this  attachment,  as  well  as  the  glory  it 
should  reflect  on  its  subject,  it  is  necessary  to  remem- 
ber the  causes  which  first  brought  our  present  guest 

among  us. 

"  If  any  man  may  claim  a  character  for  manful  and 
undeviating  adherence  to  what  he  has  deemed  the 
right,  under  circumstances  of  neariy  irresistible  tempt- 
ation to  go  wrong,  it  is  La  Fayette.     His  love  of  lib- 
eral principles  was  even  conceived  under  the  most 
unfavourable  circumstances.     The  blandishments  of 
a  sensual,  but  alluring  court,  the  prejudices  of  a  highly 
privileged  caste,  with  youth,  wealth,  and  constitution, 
were  not  auspicious  to  the  discovery  of  truth.    None 
but  a  man  who  was  impelled  by  high  and  generous 
intentions,  could   have  thrown  away  a  load  which 
weighs  so  many  gifted  minds  to  the  earth.     He  has 
the  high  merit  of  being  the  first  French  nobleman 
who  was  willing  to  devote  his  life  and  fortune  to  the 
benefit  of  the  inferior  classes.     Some  vapid  and  self- 
sufficient  commentators  have  chosen   to  term   this 
impulse  an  inordinate  and  vain  ambition.     If  their 
appellation  be  just,  it  has  been  an  ambition  which  has 
ever  proved  itself  singularly  regardful  of  othere,  and 
as  singularly  regardless  of  self.    In  the  same  spirit  of 

ueiraCUUH    liavc  uicac  uc^-iaijiivio    o.ttwjiij^t'-vx  ^v,  ..... — 

the  virtue  they  could  not  imitate,  and  to  depreciate 
services,  whose  very  object  their  contracted  minds 


AMERICA    AND    LA    TAYETTE. 


I  sympathies 
ss  to  break 
latural  duty, 
n  above  the 
will  protect 
1  part  of  the 
taken  such  a 
^  ever  before 
e  has  never, 
Frenchman, 
ngth  and  the 
the  glory  it 
ry  to  remem- 
►resent  gue^t 

r  manful  and 
deemed  the 
istible  tempt- 
s  love  of  lib- 
ler  the  most 
idishments  of 
es  of  a  highly 
i  constitution, 
truth.  None 
ind  generous 
I  load  which 
rth.  He  has 
ch  nobleman 
fortune  to  the 
ipid  and  self- 
to  term  this 
ion.  If  their 
ion  which  has 
3f  others,  and 
same  spirit  of 

mforl    frk  Qficnil 


m 


have  not  the  power  to  comprehend.    I  shall  not  speak 

of  events  connected  with  the  revolution  in  his  own 

country,  for  they  form  no  other  part  of  our  admiration 

of  La  Fayette,  than  as  they  serve  to  show  us  how 

true  and  how  fearless  he  has  ever  been  in  adhering 

to  what  we,  in  common,  beHeve  to  be  the  right.    Had 

he  been  fitted  to  control  that  revolution,  as  it  existed 

in  its  worst  and  most  revolting  aspects,  he  would  hav 

failed  in  some  of  those  qualities  which  are  necessary 

to  our  esteem. 

"  In  the  remembrance  of  the  connexion  between 

la  Fayette  and  his  own  country,  the  American  finds 

le  purest  gratification.     It  is  not  enough  to  say  that 

other  men  have  devoted  themselves  to  the  cause  of 

uman  nature,  since  we  seek,  in  vain,  for  one  who 

as  done  it  with  so  little  prospect  of  future  gain,  or 

t  so  great  nazard  of  present  loss.     His  .detracters 

retend  that  he  was  led  into  our  quarrel  by  that  long- 

ng  for  notoriety,  which  is  so  common  to  youth.    It  is 

vorthy  of  remark,  that  this  longing  should  have  been 

ts  peculiarly  his  own  by  its  commencement  as  by  its 

■^ration.    It  is  exhibited  in  the  man  of  seventy,  under 

Tecisely  the  same  forms  that  it  was  first  seen  in  the 

^outh  of  nineteen.    In  this  particular,  at  least,  it  par- 

™kes  of  the  immutable  quality  of  truth. 

"  Separate  from  all  those  common  principles,  which, 

in  themselves,  would  unite  us  to  any  man,  there  are 

'les  of  a  peculiarly  endearing  nat  ire  between  us  and 

-.a  Fayette.    His  devotion  to  our  cause  was  not  only 

Jfirst  in  point  of  time,  but  it  has  ever  been  first  in  all 

*its  moral  features.     He  came  to  bestow,  and  not  to 

receive.     While  others,  who  brought  little  beside 

their  names,  were  seeking  rank  and  emoluments,  he 

sought  the  field  of  battle.     His  first  commission  had 

^scarcely  received  the  stamp  of  official  forms,  before 

jit  had  received  the  still  more  honourable  seal  of  his 

own  blood.     A  boy  in  years,  a  native  of  a  country 

Howards  which  we  had  ahereditary  dislike,  he  caused 


Vol.  I. 


E 


ill 


'■^ 


fi«., 


38 


INTEREST    IN    LA  FAYETTE 


his  prudence  to  be  respected  amoi^  the  most  prudent 
and  wary  people  of  the  earth.  He  taught  us  to  for- 
get our  prejudices :  we  not  only  loved  him,  but  we 
began  to  love  his  nation  for  his  sake.  Throughout 
the  half  century  of  our  intercourse,  a  period  more 
fraught  with  eventful  changes  than  any  that  has  pre- 
ceded it,  nothing  has  occurred  to  diminish,  or  to  dis- 
turb, this  affecbon.  As  his  devotion  to  our  cause 
never  wavered,  not  even  in  the  darkest  days  of  our 
adversity,  so  has  our  attachment  continued  steady  to 
the  everlasting  obligations  of  gratitude.  Whatever 
occurred  in  the  revolutions  of  the  old  world,  the  eye 
of  America  was  turned  on  La  Fayette.  She  watched 
his  movements  with  all  the  solicitude  of  a  tender  pa- 
rent ;  triumphed  in  his  successes ;  sympathized  in  his 
reverses ;  mourned  in  his  sufferings,  but  always  exulted 
in  his  constancy.  The  knowledge  of  passing  events 
is  extended,  in  our  country,  to  a  degree  that  is  else- 
where unknown.  We  heard  of  the  downfall  of  thrones ; 
of  changes  in  dynasties ;  of  victories,  defeats,  rapine, 
and  war,  until  curiosity  itself  was  sated  with  repeti- 
tions of  the  same  ruthless  events.  Secure  in  our 
position,  and  firm  in  our  principles,  the  political  tor- 
nadoes, that  overturned  the  most  ancient  establish- 
ments of  the  old  world,  sounded  in  our  ears,  with  no 
greater  effect  than  the  sighings  of  our  own  autumnal 
gales.  But  no  event,  coupled  with  the  interests  of 
our  friend  vas  suffered  to  escape  our  notice.  The 
statesman,  tiie  yeoman,  or  the  school-boy ;  the  matron 
among  her  offspring ;  the  housewife  amid  her  avoca- 
tions ;  and  the  beauty  in  the  blaze  of  her  triumph, 
forgot  alike  the  passions  or  interests  of  the  moment, 
forgot  their  apathy  in  the  distresses  of  a  portion  of  the 
world  that  they  believ  ed  was  wanting  in  some  of  its 
duty  to  itself,  to  sufr<3r  at  all,  and  drew  near  to  listen 


n 


reverential,  I  might  almost  say  awful,  attention,  with 
i^ch  a  school  of  son      sixty  children,  on  a  remote 


INTEREST    IN    LA  TATETTE. 


S9 


frontier  listened  to  the  tale  of  his  suiFerings  in  the 
castle  of  Olmutz,  as  it  was  recounted  to  us  by  the 
instructor,  who  had  been  a  soldier  in  his  youth,  and 
lought  the  battles  of  his  country,  under  the  orders  of 
the  *  young  and  gallant  Frenchman.'     We  plotted 
among  ourselves,  the  means  of  his  deliverance ;  won- 
dered that  the  nation  was  not  in  arms  to  redress  his 
wrongs,  and  were  animated  by  a  sort  of  reflection  of 
bis  own  youthful  and  generous  chivalry.    Washington 
was  then  with  us,  and,  as  he  was  said  to  be  exerting 
the  influence  of  his  powerful  name,  which,  even  at 
that  early  day,  was  beginning  to  obtain  the  high  as- 
cendancy of  acknowledged  virtue,  we  consoled  our- 
selves with  the  reflection,  that  he,  at  least,  could  never 
tail.     Few  Americans,  at  this  hour,  enjoy  a  happier 
celebnty  than  Huger,  who,  in  conjunction  with  a 
brave  German,  risked  life  and  liberty  to  eflTect  the 
release  of  our  benefactor. 

"Though  subsequent  events  have  tranquillized  this 
interest  m  the  fortunes  of  La  Fayette,  we  must  become 
recreant  to  our  principles,  before  it  can  become  ex- 
tinct     It  IS  now  foH       ears  since  he  was  last  among 
us ;  but  scared;      i  American  can  enter  France  with- 
out paymg  th  homage  of  a  visit  to  La  Grange.    Our 
•.admiration  of  his  disinterestedness,  of  his  sacrifices, 
and  of  his  t  insistency,  is  just  as  strong  as  ever ;  and, 
I  confess,  j  anticipate  that  the  country  will  receive 
him  m  such  a  manner  as  shall  prove  this  attachment 
to  tfie  world      But,  you  are  not  to  expect,  in  our 
people,  manifestations  of  joy  similar  to  II  ,se  you  have 
witnessed  m  Europe.    We  are  neither  clamorous  nor 
exaggerated,  m  the  exhibitions  of  our  ff^elings      The 
prevailing  character  of  the  nation  is  that  of  modera- 
tion.    Still  am  I  persuaded  that,  in  the  case  of  La 
Jaye  te,  some  of  our  self-restraint  will  give  wav  be- 

.1  ",. -^ «ii _-^isv7ij.     7TC  cuiisiaci  ouiseives  as 

the  guardians  of  his  fame.     They  who  live  a  centurv 
hence,  may  live  to  know  how  high  a  superstructurti 


40 


I 


PREJUDICES  AGAINST  HIM  IN  EUROPE. 


of  renown  can  be  reared,  when  it  is  based  on  the 
broad  foundations  of  the  gratitude  of  a  people  hke  our 
own.  The  decision  of  common  sense  to-day,  will 
become  the  decision  of  posterity." 

Cadvvallader  spoke  with  an  earnestness  that,  at 
least,  attested  the  sincerity  of  his  own  feelings.  I  may 
have  given  to  his  language  the  stiffness  of  a  wntten 
essay,  but  I  am  certain  of  having  preserved  all  the 
ideas,  and  even  most  of  the  words.  The  humid  eyes 
of  the  fair  Isabel  responded  to  all  he  uttered,  and 
even  our  Whitehallers  bent  to  their  oars,  and  hstened 
with  charmed  ears. — Adieu. 


to  THE  BARON  VON  KEMPERFELT, 


Sec.  &c. 


New-York, 


I  CLOSED  my  last  with  the  sentiments  of  my  Ameri- 
can friend,  on  the  subject  of  La  Fayette.  I  confess 
that  the  time  was,  when  mv  feelings  had  not  entirely 
escaped  the  prejudice  which  is  so  common  among 
certain  people  in  Europe,  on  the  subject  of  the  cha- 
racter of  this  distinguished  individual.  The  French 
Revolution  led  to  so  many  excesses,  that,  under  a 
disgust  of  Its  abuses,  the  world  has  been  a  little  too 
apt  to  confound  persons,  in  judging  of  its  characters 
and  events.  It  is  nov/  time,  however,  to  begin  to 
consider,  whether  its  sacrifices  have  been  made 
vyithout  a  sufficient  object.  If  the  consciousness  of 
civil  rights,  and  the  general  intelligence  which  are 
beginning  to  diffuse  themselves  throughout  Christen- 
dom, are  remembered,  it  will  be  generally  admitted, 
I  believe,  that  France  has  not  suffered  in  vain      If 


A  BETTER  rEELINO  GArNlNG  GROUND  4t 

any  man  can  be  said  to  have  foreseen,  and  to  have 
hoped  for  these  very  results,  on  which  the  kimrdnm 
no  less  than  the  enlightened  of  all  L^pe.t  fe 
n.ng  to  fehctate  itself,  it  really  seems  to  m.   it  Zs 
be  La  Fayette.     That  he  failed  to  stem  The   orTnt 

fhe  fault  of  those  whose  previous  abuses  had  produced 

nimsell,  that  his  destinies  did  not  call  him  into  thi> 
arena  an  hour  sooner  than  they  did.  HiHife  or  hi^ 
prosc„pt,on,  would,  otherwise!  have  probaW;  been 
the  consequence.  The  man  who  was  so  eas%Loi^ed 
by  prosperity,  might  readily  have  sunk  under  the  ex 
traordmary  pressure  of  the  fi..t  days  of  the  R^tZ 
tion.  but,  as  It  IS  my  present  object  to  write  of  Ame 
nea,  we  will  waive  all  other  matter.  ^ 

Had  any  of  those  ancient  prejudices  still  PvUfo,)   i 
«  have  been  churlish,  inLiSo  W  lartti 
pated,  m  some  degree,  in  the  generous  feelin  Jof  mv 
companions.     There  was  so  much  cenu^ie^  nnH^ 
gu.sed,  and  disinterested  gratifirtion  ^Mnih^ 

r      K    ■  •^;     ^^°  welcome  of  everv  eve  was  mor^ 
l.ke  the  look  with  which  friend  meets  friend  than  «^ 
ordinary  conventional  and  artificial  greS  of  com 
mumties.     Not  a  soul  of  them  all,  wlirtL^^feptTon" 
of  Cadwallader,  had  ever  seen  their  visiter  and  V^t 

e~hfhi"v'-^^'"^  f  •  "'^  .P«' -^  tookVmfni  e 
Vou  that    iJ    f!if    ^"'"'^t™<^  that  I  should  show 
you  that  this  feeling  was  not  confined  to  the  half- 
dozen  who  were  in  my  own  boat 

At  the  exclamation  of  "there  they  come  "  from 
Cadwallader  my  look  had  been  directed  t^the  imZ 
bay,  and  ,n  the  direction  of  the  still  distant  ctv    The 

masses  of  human  heads.     In  order  to  conceive  the 

E  2 


42 


PROCESSION  or  THE  STEAM-BOATS. 


S   I 


beauty  of  the  sight,  you  are  to  recall  the  accessories 
described  m  my  last  letter,  the  loveliness  of  the  day, 
and  It  IS  also  necessary  to  understand  something  of 
the  magnitude,  appearance,  and  beauty  of  an  Ameri- 
can steam-boat.     The  latter  are  often  nearly  as  large 
as  frigates,  are  not  painted,  as  commonly  in  Europe, 
a  gloomy  black,  but  are  of  lively  and  pleasing  colours, 
without  being  gaudy,  and  have  frequently  species  of 
wooden  canopies,  that  serve  as  additional  decks,  on 
which  their  passengers  may  walk.     The  largest  of 
thesfe  boats,  when  crowded,  will  contain  a  thousand 
people.  There  was  one,  among  the  present  collection, 
ol  great  size,  that  had  been  constructed  to  navigate 
the  ocean,  and  which  was  provided  with  the  usual 
masts  and  rigging  of  a  ship.   This  vessel  was  manned 
by  seamen  of  the  public  service,  and  was  gaily  deco- 
rated with  a  profusion  of  flags.    Our  boat  reached  the 
wharf  of  the  Lazaretto,  a  few  minutes  after  the  pro- 
cession.   One  of  the  largest  of  the  vessels  had  stopped 
at  this  place,  lying  with  her  side  to  the  shore,  while 
the  others  were  whirling  and  sailing  around  the  spot, 
giving  an  air  of  peculiar  life  and  animation  to  the 
scene.     Here  I  found  myself,  as  it  were  by  a  coup  de 
mam,  transferred  at  once  from  the  monotony  of  a 
passage  ship,  into  the  bustle  and  activity  of  the  Ame- 
rican world.     Probably  not  less  than  five  thousand 
people  were  collected  at  this  one  spot,  including  all 
ages  and  every  condition  known  to  the  society  of  the 
country.     Though  the  whole  seemed  animated  by  a 
common  sentiment  of  pleasure,  I  did  not  fail  to  ob- 
serve an  air  of  great  and  subdued  sobriety  in  the 
countenances  of  almost  all  around  me.     As'Cadwal- 
lader  had  the  address  to  obtain  our  admission  into  the 
steam-boat  that  had  come  to  land,  and  which  was  in- 
tended to  receive  La  Fayette  in  person,  I  was  brought 
into  immediate  contact  with  its  occupants.     Closer 
observation  conilrmed  my  more  distak;t  impressions. 
I  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  an  order!  7,  grave,  wdl- 


■  n' 


EXULTATION  or  THE  FRENCH.         43 

dressed,  but  certainly  exulting  crowd.   It  was  plain  to 
see  that  all  orders  of  men  (with  a  few  females)  were 
here  assembled,  unless  I  might  except  that  very  infe- 
nor  c  ass  which  I  already  begin  to  think  is  not  as 
usual  to  be  found  m  this  country  as  in  most  others.    I 
heard  French  spoken,  and  by  the  quick,  restless  eyes, 
and  elevated  heads,  of  some  half-dozen,  I  could  see 
i.u  f?u^  K^^  ^^"^  representatives  in  the  throng 
and  that  they  deemed  the  occasion  one  in  which  thev 
had  no  reason  to  blush  for  their  country.     Indeed  I 
can  scarcely  imagine  a  spectacle  more  gratifyina  to  a 
Frenchman,  than  the  sight  that  was  here  exhibited. 
1  he  multitude  was  assembled  to  do  honour  to  an  in- 
divirtual  oi  their  own  country,  for  services  that  he  had 
rendered  to  a  whole  people.  The  homage  he  received 
was  not  of  a  nature  to  be  distrusted.    It  was  as  spon- 
taneous f '     ad  been  the  benefits  it  was  intended  in 
some  m     ,  er  to  requite;  it  was  of  a  nature,  both  in 
its  cause  and   its   effects,  to  do  credit   to  the  best 
eelmgs  of  man;  but  it  was  also  of  a  nature  to  con- 
tribute to  the  just  and  personal  pride  o^  "  ^  country- 
men of  him  who  was  its  object. 

the  little  Isabel,  than  I  disposed  myself  to  make  re- 
marks still  more  mmute  on  the  assemblage.  Cadwal- 
laaer  kept  near  me,  and,  though  big  with  the  feelings 
ot  home  and  country,  his  ear  was  not  deaf  to  my  in- 
quiries and  demands  for  explanation.  The  first  ques- 
tiori  was  to  ascertain  the  present  residence  of  the 
General,     as  I  found  he  was  universally  called,  as 

dweJImg  embowered  m  trees,  which  might  claim  to 
be  something  between  an  unpretending  villa  and  a 
large  farm-house.  It  was  the  residence  of  the-  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States.     This  individual  was 


in  a  condition  of  mprlinr-rifi  -  b-^ 


ordinary  imperfect,  classical  ed'uWtion  of  the 
tij,and  had  risen,  by  populqr  favour,  to  the 


reccivcu  the  am 


conn- 
otation 


I  , 


44 


VlCE-lf»RE9lDENT. 


of  Governor  of  this,  his  native,  state.    Quite  as  much 
by  the  importance  of  that  state,  as  by  the  weight  of 

J  u^^?-^*'*^^^*^^'  ('^*^'^*^  ^^  ve^y  differently  estimat- 
ed by  different  people,)  he  has  been  chosen  to  fill  his 
present  situation  ;  an  office  which,  while  it  certainly 
makes  him  the  legal  successor  of  the  President,  in 
case  ol  death,  resignation,  or  disability,  is  not  con- 
sidered, in  itself,  one  of  very  high  importance,  since  its 
sole  duties  are  limited  to  the  chair  of  the  Senate, 
without  a  seat  in  the  cabinet.     There  has  been  no 
recent  instance  of  a  Vice-President  succeeding  to  the 
Presidency ;  and  I  can  easily  see,  the  office  is  deemed, 
among  politicians,  what  the  English  seamen  call  a 
"  yellow  flag."     The  present  incumbent  is  said  to  be 
reduced  m  his  private  resources,  (the  fate  of  most 
public  men,  here  as  elsewhere,  where  corruption  is 
not  exceedingly  barefaced,)  and  is  compelled  to  make 
the  dwelling  named  his  principal,  if  not  his  only,  resi- 
dence.    Here  La  Fayette  had  passed  the  day  after 
his  arrival,  the  sabbath,  which  it  would  seem  is  never 
devoted  by  the  Americans  to  any  public  ceremonies 
except  those  of  religion. 

Cadwallader  pointed  out  to  me,  among  the  crowd, 
several  individuals  who  had  filled  respectable  military 
rank  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Three  or  four 
of  them  were  men  of  fine  presence,  and  of  great 
gravity  and  dignity  of  mien :  others  had  less  preten- 
sion ;  but  all  appeared  to  possess,  at  that  moment,  a 
common  feeling.  There  was  one  in  particular,  who 
appeared  an  object  of  so  much  attention  and  respect, 
that  I  was  induced  to  inquire  his  history.     He  had 

been  an  officer  of  a  rank  no  higher  than  colonel 

(few  of  the  generals  of  that  period  are  now  living ;) 

but  it  seems  he  had  obtained  a  name  among  his  coun- 
trymen for  political  firmness  and  great  personal  dar- 
ing. He,  however,  appeared  a  good  deal  indebted 
for  his  present  disiractioii  to  his  great  age,  which 
could  not  be  much  less  than  ninety.     Cadwallader 


APPROACH  OF  LA  FAYETTE.  45 

then  pointed  to  a  Still  firm,  upright  veteran  of  near 
eighty  who  had  left  the  army  of  the  Reiolution  a 
general,  and  who  had  already  travelled  forty  miles 
that  morning  to  welcome  La  Fayette.  Others  in  the 
crowd  were  more  or  less  worthy  of  attention ;  but  the 
principal  object  of  interest  soon  made  his  appearance 
and  drew  all  eyes  to  himself.  ' 

The  General  approached  the  boat  escorted  by  a 
committee  of  the  city  authorities,  and  attended  by  the 
Vice-President.    The  latter,  a  man  of  rather  pleasing 
exterior,  took  leave  of  him  on  the  wharf.    La  Fayette 
entered  the  vessel  amid  a  deep  and  respectful  silence 
A  similar  reception  of  a  public  man,  in  Europe,  would 
have  been  ominous  of  a  waning  popularity.     Not  an 
exclamation,  not  even  a  greeting  of  any  sort,  was 
audible.   A  lane  was  opened  through  a  mass  of  bodies 
that  was  nearly  solid,  and  the  visiter  advanced  slowly 
along  the  deck  towards  the  stern.     The  expression 
of  his  countenance,  though  gratified  and  affectionate, 
seemed  bewildered.    His  eye,  remarkable  for  its  fire 
even  in  the  decHne  of  life,  appeared  to  seek  in  vain 
the  features  of  his  ancient  friends.    To  most  of  those 
whom  he  passed,  his  form  must  have  worn  the  air  of 
some  image  drawn  from  the  pages  of  history.    Haifa 
century  had  carried  nearly  all  of  his  contemporary 
actors  of  the  Revolution  into  the  great  abyss  of  time 
and  he  now  stood  like  an  imposing  column  that  had 
been  reared  to  commemorate  deeds  and  principles 
that  a  whole  people  had  been  taught  to  reverence 

La  r  ayette  moved  slowly  through  the  multitude 
walking  wi(h  a  little  difficulty  from  a  personal  infirm' 
ity.  On  every  side  of  him  his  anxious  gaze  still  sought 
some  remembered  face  ;  but,  though  all  bowed,  and 
with  a  deep  sentiment  of  respect  and  affection,  each 
seemed  to  watch  his  laboured  footstep,  no  one  ad- 
^!.  r.  „.„5.  xHc  Cjuvvu  opeiieu  in  nis  front 
by  a  soit  of  secret  impulse,  until  he  had  gained  the 
extremity  of  the  boat,  where,  last 


the  throng,  stood 


»..-r. 


1,,,' 


46 


HIS    RECEPTION. 


the  greyheaded  and  totiering  veterkn  I  have  men- 
tioned.   By  common  consent  his  countrymen  had  paid 
this  tn  bute  to  his  services  and  his  age.     The  honour 
of  receiving  the  first  embrace  was  his.     I  should  fail 
in  power  were  I  to  attempt  a  description  equal  to  the 
effect  produced  by  this  scene.    The  old  man  extended 
his  arms,  and,  as  La  Fayette  heard  his  name,  he  flew 
into  them  like  one  who  was  glad  to  seek  any  relief 
Jrom  the  feelings  by  which  he  was  oppressed.    They 
were  long  silently  folded  in  each  other's  arms.     I 
know  not,  nor  do  I  care,  whether  there  were  any 
present  more  stoical  than  myself:  to  me,  this  sight 
simple  and  devoid  of  pageantry,  was  touching  and 
grand.     Its  very  nakedness  heightened  the   effect. 
1  here  was  no  laboured  address,  no  ready  answer 
no  dnllmg  of  the  feelings  in  looks  or  speeches,  nor 
any  mercenary  cries  to  drown  the  senses  in  noise 
JNature  was  trusted  to,  and  well  did  she  perform  her 
part.     T  saw  all  around  me  paying  a  silent  tribute  to 
her  power.     I  do  not  envy  the  man  who  could  have 
witnessed  such  a  scene  unmoved. 

Greetings  now  succeeded  greetings,  until  not  only 
all  the  aged  warriors,  but  most  of  the  individuals  in 
the  boat,  had  been  permitted  to  welcome  their  guest 
In  the  meanwhile  the  vessel  had  left  the  land,  un- 
heeded, and,  by  the  time  recollection  had  returned,  I 
tound  myself  in  an  entirely  new  situation.    The  whole 
of  the  aquatic  procession  was  in  motion  towards  the 
town,  and  a  gayer  or  a  more  animated  cortege  can 
scarcely  be   imagined.     The  deep,  quiet  sentiment 
which  attended  the  first  reception,  had  found  relief, 
and  joy  was  exhibiting  itself  under  some  of  its  more 
ordinary  aspects.     The  Castle  of  La  Fayette  (for  so 
is  the  fortress  in  the  midst  of  the  water  called)  was 
sending  the  thunder  of  its  heavy  artillery  in  our  wake- 
vvhile  several  light  vessels  of  war  (the  steam-ship  in- 
_-  — ^  ..esc  csusn^xaji^iiiiiiecuie,  Duiiiui  lesis  hearty, 
echoes.     The  yards  of  the  latter  were  strung  with 


MANNER    OP    APPROACH.  47 

seamen,  and  occasionalJy  she  swept  grandly  along  our 
side,  rending  the  air  with  the  welcome  peculifr  to 

Doats.   Uur  own,  as  containing  the  object  of  the  com- 
mon interest,  was  permitted  to  keep  stead  ly  on  her 
way,  qmckening  or  relaxing  her  speed,  to  accommo' 
date  her  motion  to  that  of  those  in  company   b« 
scarce  a  minute  passed  that  some  one  of  thisbriiliant 
cortige  was  not  sweeping  along  one  or  (he  other  " 
our  sides,  bearing  a  living  burthen,  which!  as  it  wa; 
animated  by  one  spirit,  seemed  to  possess  bit  one  eve 
and  one  subject  to  gaze  at.     It  was  some  little  time 
before  I  could  sufficiently  extricate  my  thon^te  f^m 
the  pleasing  confusion  of  such  a  spectacle,  to  examfne 
the  appearance  of  the  bay,  and  of  the  town,  wh  ch 

xceedtdTl't"'^"^  ''''"^-    '^'^""g'^  tfae  disTance 
nln  h  r  ^J&>es,  our  passage  seemingly  occu- 

pied but  a  very  few  minutes.     Bifore  us  the  boats 
began  to  thicken  on  the  water  though  fh»  ^i 
of  thp  Hi.v    ar.A  «,  "nier,  mougn  the  calmness 

„    ™«  «ay,  and  the  speed  with  which  we  moved 
probably  prevented  our  being  followed  by  aTimTenl' 
tram  of  lighter  craft.    Two  of  the  steam-vesseU  how 
ever,  had  taken  the  Cadmus  in  tow,  and  were  tari^ 

Jottrn  tZ'tC^  '"'"'y-,'  "'«'  ^'"o'for? 
gotten  to  say   that  m  passing  this  ship,  which  had  ' 

tar?or£aTat^f  ""^  ^f  ^^'"°'  *<=  -"  -«>  sec^e 
tan  01  La  b  ayette  joined  us,  and  received  the  sort 

a  ew  lortiBed  islands,  which  spoke  to  us  in  their  ar- 

of  S'town!""  '""'  """'^'^'^  "'*'"  •"-•^-"-h" 

At  the  coi|fluence  of  the  Hudson  (which  is  hem  a 

tioned  the  city  is  narrowed  nearly  to  a  point      The 

chZdt™fi""""  °^  *^  1''"'''  h»weveVhas  been 
cnanged  to  a  fane  swfipn.  «;li;.-h  ;„  ,.,„ii-j     ,  ■     .  .. 

breachps  nftu^  ,„  *     "'''1  ■', "  "  "»"<="  against  ine 

and  wffkf  h        t^^"'  T'?'*'  ^'''^'  •'''*■«  been  planted, 
and  walks  have  been  laid  out,  on  the  open  space 


48 


CASTLE  GARDEN — BATTERY. 


I!  '     'i 


!«; 


which  lies  between  the  houses  and  the  bay     This 
promenade  was  once  occupied  by  the  principal  forti- 
fication  of  the  colonial  town,  from  which  circumstance 
Jt  has  obtamed  the  name  of  the  "  Batteiy."  On  a  small 
artificial  island,  at  the  more  immediate  junction  of  the 
two  tides,  stands  a  large  circular  work,  of  one  tier  of 
guns,  which  was  once  known  as  "  Castle  Clinton  "  It 
has  been  abandoned,  however,  as  a  military  post!  and 
having  become  the  property  of  the  city,  it  is  now  oc- 
cupied as  a  place  of  refreshment  and  amusement  for 
the  inhabitants,  under  the  mongrel  appellation  of"  Cas- 
tle Garden."    There  is  no  garden,  unless  the  area  of 
the  work  can  be  called  one ;  but  it  seems  that  as  the 
city  abounds  with  small  public  gardens,  which  are 
appropriated  to  the  same  uses  as  this  rejected  castle. 
It  has  been  thought  f>roper,  in  this  instance,  to  supp'jr 
the  space  which  is  elsewhere  found  so  agreeable  by 
a  name  at  least.    This  place  had  been  chosen  for'the 
spot  at  which  La  Fayette  was  to  land.    The  ramparts 
ot  the  castle,  which  have  been  altered  to  a  noble  bel- 
videre,  a  terrace  at  the  base  of  the  work,  and  the 
whole  of  the  fine  sweep  of  the  battery,  a  distance  of 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  were  teeming  with 
human  countenances.     A  long  glittering  line  of  the 
military  was  visible  in  the  midst  of  the  multitude,  and 
every  thing  denoted  an  intention  to  give  the  visiter  a 
noble  welcome.     The  reception  I  had  already  wit- 
nessed was  evidently  only  a  prelude  to  a  still  more 
imposing  spectacle;  the  whole  population  of  the  place 
having  poured  out  to  this  spot,  and  standin<r  in  readi- 
ness to  greet  their  guest.     To  my  eye,  there  seemed, 
at  least,  a  hundred  thousand  souls.    Our  approach  to 
the^  shore  was  now  positively  impeded  by  the  boats, 
and  La  Fayette  left  us  in  a  barge,  which  was  sent  to 
receive  him  from  the  land.     What  passed  about  his 
person,  m  the  following  scene,  I  am  unable  to  say : 
but  1  saw  the  rocking  of  the  multitude  as  he  moved 
among  them,  and  heard  the  shouts  which,  from  time 


THE    LITTLE    ISABEL.  49 

aVr^Sf  •"  T^]"  "''"'^  ""'"»«"  ■"*  habitu- 

mente  in  thf  nf ''•    H  "^"^  ^^^^  '»  "•"«  ^s  move- 
ments  m  the  distance,  for,  wherever  he  aDDcared 

thither  the  tide  of  human  beings  set;  but  Zres?ed 

with  the  novelty  of  my  situation,  and  anxious  to  iTf^ 

emte  my  thoughts  from  the  whiVl  of  so  cons  ant  an 

excitement,  I  was  glad  to  hear  Cadwallader  propose 

our  seeking  a  hotel.    We  left  the  little  Isabel  Zhe 

10  see  the  lair  girl  throw  herself,  weeping,  but  hanov 
in  o  the  arms  of  those  who  fo^e'd  heril'esSc  wffi 
St.  1,  ingenuous  and  affectionate  as  this  young  creature 
■8,  he  scarcely  appeared  to  think  of  home,  until  h^ 

IZiZV  v"  '^""'^"^^  "^  her  father's  house    Then 
ndeed,  La  Fayette  was  for  a  time  forcotten  and  na' 

^aSiror''"1  '"  ""  '^^  ""''  andVe^t'e^U,™: 
pathies.  Our  peculiar  propensities,  my  worthv  Bamn 

may  have  left  us  with  lighter  loads 'to  jWneytl^-Zh 

pr^™ci;L°of  ttV^b  '  '"P^*  ''  "°  treasoVr^tfe 
pnncipies  ot  the  club,  sometimes  to  entertain  a  mod 

Our  tr-  "^  '■'"'''*  °"  *^  ^=°^«  "f  theT  wisdom 

City  Hotet^Tir',  ''  '  """"'^  ^''^  ''  <=*"«'l  ™he 
ijy.i^  T'  1,  '^*  **''^™  o"  a  grand  scale,  possess- 
■ng  the  double  character  of  an  European  and  an 
American  house.  We  have  taken  up  our  abode  in 
the  foroier  side  the  latter,  in  the  true  meaning  of  the 
of  even    "I  '  '""'  ^^  S^fS^"°''^>  ^r  the  f umour 

IrirthrdSW-tt^*!^^^^^^^^ 

Most  of  the  travelling  in  America  is  done  either  in 
steam-boats,  which  abound,  or  in  the  public  coaches 

l^:!  ?.!;!  T-.^^-  '^''"^^''  *«  ^Wt  of  living  in  com! 
-I-  ..,  ,.n.>.h  prcvaiis,  in  a  greater  or  less  deeree  from 

Vol.  I       '  *^  "*";•     '^'^'  however,  who 


y 


50 


THE    CITY    HOTEl.. 


Hi  'Hi 


'% 


T  l^}-""^  separately,  can  do  so,  hy  incurring  a 
small  additional  charge.     In  this  house,  the  number 
ol  inmates   must,  at  this  moment,  greatly  exceed  a 
iiundred.     By  far  the  greater  part  occupy  nothing 
f  ?f  i,  z".  bed-rooms,  assembling  at  stated  hours  at  a 
table  d  hSte  for  their  meals,  of  which  there  are  four 
in  the  day.     In  some  few  instances  more  than  one 
bed  IS  m  a  room,  but  it  is  not  the  usual  arrangement 
ol  the  house ;  the  whole  of  which  I  have  visited 
Irom  Its  garrets  to  its  kitchens.     I  find  the  building 
extensive ;  quite  equal  to  a  first-rate  European  hotel 
in  size,  excelhng  the  latter  in  some  conveniences,  and 
mfenor  to  It  in  others.  It  is  clean  from  top  to  bottom : 
carpeted  in  almost  every  room  ;  a  custom  the  Amer- 
leans  have  borrowed  from  the  English,  and  which,  in 
this  latitude,  m  the  month  of  August,  might  be  changed 
lor  something  more  comfortable.     Our  own  accom- 
modations  are  excellent.     They  comprise  our  bed- 
rooms,  which  are  lofty,  airy,  and  convenient,  and  a 
salon,  that  would  be  esteemed  handsome   even  in 
fans.     We  also  might  have  our  four  meals,  and  at 
our  own  hours  :  dining,  however,  at  six  o'clock,  we 
dispense  with  the  supper.     The  master  of  the  house 
is  a  respectable,  and  an  exceedingly  well-behaved 
and  obliging  man,  who,  of  course,  allows  each  of  his 
guests,  except  those  who  voluntarily  choose  to  live  at 
his  table  d'  hote,  to  adopt  his  own  hours,  without  a 
murmur,  or  even  a  discontented  look.     I  believe  we 
might  dine  at  midnight,  if  we  would,  without  exciting 
his  surprise.     Cadwallader  tells  me  the  customs,  in 
this  respect,  vary  exceedingly  in  America ;  that  din- 
ner IS  eaten  between  the  hours  of  two  and  six  by 
people  in  genteel  life,  though  rarely  later  than  the 
latter  hour,  and  not  often  so  late.     The  table  d'  hote 
m  this  house  is  served  at  three. 

♦  \^^t  ^^IP^J^^^-  ^^y  ^^^^  ^^^^'  ^^^^^  w^  are  es- 
ta^iisiied,  though  it  is  one  of  the  most  expensive 

taverns  in  the  country.     The  price  for  the  rooms 


lA    PAVETTE. 


51 


sounded  a  little  hich  at  fif«t.  K,.(  .  i. 
view  the  style  of  fhe  'ccoLl  r  ^".^  '"""^  '■"» 
abundance,  as  well  as  thl  r?,  "r""'  '^  "«ssive 
liberality  with  wh  ch  ithtf  ?  ^;''^°"''  '^°'''  «"<*  'he 

we  fou/d   the.^t'ch^teht'Xr  tt"'^''^'^' 
articles  cou  d  be  not  for  in  p    •         V      *"®   same 

than  in  London  or  eve,     n  Livel'l  ''ll'^  '""-■ 
these  things  I  intend  to  riv^  .„  P°"';     '^"'  "'^  «" 

it  must  be  the  colonel  thl     T  T  "'^y""  <'  ""ink 
a  degree,  the  love  of  ^''art  w  fh'  K  "^  '^'"'^**'''^ 
cheer)  a  more  detailedtc^lr^J^"-^^^^^^^^ 
I  had  almost  foreot^en  to  s^v    ihof  t     n         •^* 
lodged  in  the  san,.  Imusrw  th  oT^elves      h5' r?  '' 
ally  overwhelmed  with  kindnU   f^J  if       ^  "J"''''- 
ing  as  we  find  the  circumstance  .n  t^Tr"-    ^'^^'• 
oblige  us  to  seek  a  diffe"  n  "aZdV  f ^J  f " '*  will 
throng  incessantly  at  the  door ;  well  Tre^edonH     ' 
flerly,  it  is  true,  but  still  a  thrnmr   %l        ""f  °'"" 
are  eager  to  shake  his  ZL       j  >'     ^'"'  ""y  hoys 
eyes  a?e  turned  toward^'  ^I'.-of  nT'^  "i  ""-'S^' 

even  this  great'c:mme?ciaTtlr"Ad™r""^^  ''"" 


we  are  es- 


(     52     ) 


TO  SIR  EDWARD  WALLER,  BART. 
Ac.  ice. 


.V, 


M 


.•if 


New- York, 


In  consequence  of  this  temporary  separation  from 
Cadwallader,  1  was  left  for  a  few  days  the  master  of 
my  own  movements.  I  determined  to  employ  them 
in  a  rapid  excursion  through  a  part  of  the  eastern 
states  of  this  great  confederation,  in  order  to  obtain  a 
coup  dail  of  a  portion  of  the  interior.  It  would  have 
been  the  most  obvious,  and  perhaps  the  most  pleasing 
route  to  have  followed  the  coast  as  far  as  Boston : 
but  this  would  have  brought  me  .ii  the  train  of  La 
layette  where  the  natural  aspect  of  society  was  dis- 
turbed by  the  universal  joy  and  excitement  produced 
by  his  reception.  I  chose,  therefore,  a  direction  far- 
tlier  from  the  water,  through  the  centre  of  Connecti- 
cut, entering  Massachusetts  by  its  soutliern  border, 
and  traversing  that  state  to  Vermont.     After  looking 

1  u  .u^\  ^^"^'''  ^"^  New-Hampshire,  I  returned 
through  the  heart  of  Massachusetts  to  Rhode  Island 
re-entering  and  quitting  Connecticut  at  new  points,' 
and^rega.ning  this  city  through  the  adjacent  county 
of  Westchester.  The  whole  excursion  has  exceeded 
a  thousand  miles,  though  the  distance  from  New- York 
has  at  no  time  been  equal  to  three  hundred.  By 
naming  some  of  the  principal  towns  throui(h  which  I 
passed,  you  will  be  able  to  trace  the  route  on  a  map, 
and  may  better  understand  the  little  I  have  to  eom- 
municate  I  entered  Connecticut  near  Danbury,  and 
lelt  It  at  buftield,  having  passed  a  night  in  Hartford, 

*  The  commencement  of  this,  and  of  many  of  the  eucceediri. 
letters,  are  omitted,  Rinc«  the\' ron^-H  rr --  ;  i  "**:  ^"^'^^^Q'^^g 
the  reader.  contain  mai^ivt  ulreaay  known  to 


CHARACTER  Or  THE  COUNTRV  VISITED  53 

Connecticut  (riverHntllSu       "?*"   '^'■'""'ed   the 

and  turningVo    h,  ^ent^^edMrP^^"*' '"Concord, 
ing  to  Worcester     Th»  ■  '^achusetts,  proceed- 

toNew.\^rkt.;a  Mttl^^"''"'^  '"""  ""''  P"'"'  ''«<=k 
de„ce.a„d  Newport  ■"Vf;rdrr,ri7'''r'"g  l-^vi- 

don  New-Haven^  an  1  Sd^    cll^«t^^ 

rfd^SL^^rpr^'  T  -^  -^^' cw 

'l.at  part  of  t  Kuntr^  i  .'i: 'l'  '"'"'f'  "'  .°"^«  i""> 
be  supposed  to  be  tl!7,e"  "'  "itSeVand  T"^' 
of  course,  would  afford  the  In  t  !l  ■  ^  "l"'^''' 
"ational  character  Cad  !ii!T  •  'P''"'"''"  "f  (he 
track,  and  he  te  Is  me  I  h»vp      v  i'?u  ^'"'"'>'>^^  my 

of  New-Englanfwrch  isZ  SI  oUf^  P''^^" 
object.     I  saw  no  ereat  Inwn  ,i     •  """P'^^f  '»  such  an 

if  I  travelled  much  of  thT^l  ""^' T^ '''''^''^^' ""d 
peaceful  husbaSen  I  occa  Zir:""  'f'^'."'^^''  ""'' 
where  all  was  alive  ^th  he  bus  fer^'' f' !'"'"*' 
commerce  and  manufacture,  """"^  °^ 

cur1irCel!te7mrorhl'H^«'^,J'''%^''<''^-- 
■n^'  to  anEuropearjyIe  pef  a,^/""^  f  ^""^"^- 
mipression,  of  even  the  ex C'  l  ^  accurate, general 
country.  What  is  so  fr„  f  appearance  of  this 
the  otliers,  and  de  crL^nsl ""'  Pm""''  l^  ^"  '''''^^  "f 

«ere  evact  a  short  Z  ^  "  nee 'beco  '  ""'"^^  "'^"'' 
erroneous  through  chater^h'  ^  u  '"  "'"-'"y  ^"O" 

to  assu.ne  the  responsibftv  If     "?'  ''"'I''''  ''*''''='*« 
-eh  as  the,  arcStte'^tyo^rtl^iefl!;  o'f  "' 


f 


:ii«, 


■M 


64     EXPLANATION  OF  THE  TERM  YANKEE. 

here  by  the  famiiiar  name  of  *  Yankees/     This  word 
IS  most  commonly  supposed  to  be  a  corruption  of 
Yengeese,    the  manner  in  which  the  native  tribes, 
first  known  to  the  colonists,  pronounced  » English ' 
Some,  however,  deny  this  derivation,  at  the  same  time 
that  they  confess  their  inability  to  produce  a  plausible 
substitute.     It  is  a  little  singular  that  the  origin  of  a 
soubriquet,  which  is  in  such  general  use,  and  which 
cannot  be  of  any  very  long  existence,  should  already 
be  a  matter  of  doubt.    It  is  said  to  have  been  used  by 
the  English  as  a  term  of  contempt,  when  the  American 
was  a  colomst  and  it  is  also  said,  that  the  latter  often 
adopts  It  as  an  indirect  and  playful  means  of  retalia- 
tion.   It  IS  necessary  to  remember  one  material  distinc- 
tion  m  Its  use,  which  is  infallibly  made  by  every  Ame- 
"^2,"-  ,^i  home,  the  native  of  even  New- York,  though 
ot  ii^nghsh  origin,  will  tell  you  he  is  not  a  Yankee.  The 
term  here,  is  supposed  to  be  perfectly  provincial  in 
its  application  ;  being,  as  I  have  said,  confined  to  the . 
inhabitants,  or  rather  the  natives,  of  New-England 
But,  out  of  the  United  States,  even  the  Georgian  does 
not  hesitate  to  call  himself  a  '  Yankee.'     The  Ameri- 
cans are  particularly  fond  of  distinguishing  any  thing 
connected  with  their  general  enterprise,  skill,  or  repu- 
tation, by  this  term.  Thus,  the  southern  planter,  who  is 
probably  more  averse  than  any  other  to  admit  a  com- 
munity of  those  personal  qualities,  which  are  thought 
to  m&rk  the  differences  in  provincial  or  rather  state 
character,  will  talk  of  what  a  '  Yankee  merchant,'  a 
'Yankee  negotiator,'  or  a  'Yankee  soldier,'  can  and 
has  done ;  meaning  aiways  the  people  of  the  United 
States.    J  have  heard  a  naval  oificer  of  rank,  who  was 
•  horn  south  of  the  Potomac,  and  whose  vessel  has  just 
been  consiiucted  in  this  port,  speak  of  the  latter  with 
a  sort  of  suppressed  pride,  as  a  '  Yankee  man-of-war.' 
Now,  I  had  overheard  the  same  individual  allude  to 
another  in  a  manner  that  annpnrprl  r/^tAr^o^iwui   ^^a 
m  which  he  used  the  word  '  Yankee,'  with  peculiar 


1*1 


^REAT    HARMONV.BETXVEEN    THE    PEOPLE  ^H 

of  which  may  be  cf.led  its  I™.  andTe  rherTt! 

pa  .ence  until  I  had  been  able  to  j„d^  for  my  df 

subject.     The  inhabitants  of  states,  living  a  thousand 
™les  asunder,  speak  of  each  other  witif  more  kTnd- 
ness,  „,  common,  than  ti,e  inhabitants  of  aLX 
counties  m  England,  or  provinces  in  France.   TndeeT 
the  candour  and  manliness  with  which  the  nortS 
njan  generally  admits  the  acknowledged  superiori  ? 
of  h.s  southern  countrymen,  on  certtin  pofntsrand 
^tce  versa,  ,s  matter  of  surprise  to  me,  who  S  you 
know,  have  witnessed  so  m.,ch  illiberal  <y  on  sTmZ 
Europe.'  """"^        "'"^^^  "'"  ''^'^  "«  countries  of 

New-England  embraces  an  area  of  between  sixtv      ' 
and  seventy  thousand  square  miles.     Thulyou   ee 

IS  larger  m  extent  than  England  and  WaL^uni  ed' 

l?al"!L^.^!™J'7''-'l. ."?■'-  of  sea-coast,  I„d 
Th  =  ,  "£"1'^"'""."  "1  somelliiiig  less  than  1 ,800,000. 
Ihis  would  give  about  twenty-seven  to  tl^  square 


•66 


BATE  or  POrULATION  TO. THE  SQUARE  MILE. 


J 


:i    ^l 


u  ■ 


mile.  But  m  order  to  arrive  at  an  accurate  itiea  of 
the  populousness  of  the  inhabited  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, it  is  necessary  to  exclude  from  the  calculation, 
that  part  of  it  which  is  not  peopled.  We  should 
then  reject  a  very  large  portion  of  Maine,  and  a  good 
deal  of  land  in  the  northern  parts  of  Vermont  and 
INew-Hampshire,  including,  perhaps,  twenty  thousand 
square  miles.  This  estimate  would  leave  forty  inhab 
itants  to  the  square  mile.  'But  we  will  confine  our- 
selves to  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  Rhode 
island  ;  neither  of  which,-for  America,  has  an  unusual 

?f  ^"ilJ^  ""^  "'^'"'^^^  ^^"^-  '^^^^^  s"^^^<^e  embraces  about 
14,000  square  miles.     The  population  is  not  quite  a 
milhon.    rhis  will  give  an  average  of  a  little  less  than 
seventy  to  the  square  mile.     Here,  then,  we  have 
what  may  be  considered  the  maximum  of  the  density 
olAmencan  population  on  any  very  extended  surface. 
1  here  is  a  fair  proportion  of  town  and  country,  and 
a  more  equal  distribution  of  the  labour  of  society 
between  commerce,  manufactures,  and  agriculture! 
than  perhaps  in  any  other  section  of  the  Union^    You 
are  not,  however  to  suppose  that  this  amount  of  pop- 
ulation  IS  confined  to  these  three  states,   k  great  deal 
of  New-York,  Ohio,  and  Pennsylvania,  and  certafn 
districts  in  many  other  states,  have  attained,  or  even 
exceed,  this  ratio    Thus  the  highest  comparative  rate 
of  population  m  this  country,  estimating  it  in  districts 
of  any  considerable  ^^i^ni   is  a  little  less  than  that 
of   he  whole  kingdom  of  Denmark,  and  very  mate 
nally  exceeding  that  of  Spain.  ^ 

^  Still  you  will  scarcely  be  able  to  obtain  a  just  idea 
of  the  outward  appearance  of  New-England  from  a 
knowledge  of  these  facts.  You  must  have  ofteHb! 
served  m  travelling  through  the  most  populou  scoun- 
tnes  of  Europe,  how  few  of  their  people  are  seen 

wWch'h^"'  r^'"'''  -""'^  ^^^^^  ^^e  Lllions  S 
I^'^^J}':!!'^^^^  -  »^-  -ties  and^viHa,es.  Nor 
^'^  j^^  .wucK  wirn  ine  popuiousness  of  even  the 


LRE  MILE. 


DECEPTIVE  APPEARANCE  OF  POPULATION.     57 

latter,  unless  you  happen  to  enter  them  on  fetes  or 
have  an  opportunity  of  examining  them  in  the Iv'^^ 
;ng,  after  the  labourers  have  returT,ed  f"om  hefiew"' 
This  ,s,  more  or  less,  true  with  every  other  countrv 
m  Europe.  Even  in  England,  one  doL  not  eemud^ 
of  the  population  out  of  the  towns,  unless  at  fei™  or 
merry-makings.  Now  I  do  not  rmember  to  hive 
ever  travelled  so  far  through  any  country  whieh  ao 

SeT*'  ffi"'""  ^".*^  P^^'^  °f  /e  w-Englan'd 
eml  causes.  P^<="''«"tr  ">»y  be  ascribed  to%ev. 

The  whole  country  is  subdivided  into  small  free- 
holds,  which  are  commonly  tilled  by  their  owne,^ 
The   average  size  of  these  estates  is  probably  S 
han  a  hundred  acres.     Each,  as  a  geniral  rule   has 
Its  house  and  out-houses.    These  buildings  are  usiallv 
very  near  the  public  roads,  and  consequfntly  i    "S 
view  of  the  traveller.     The  field  labour  ?s  ai  .  ^ 
monly  done  at  no  great  distance  from  the  highway 
In   addition   to   these   reasons,   the   Americals   a^ 
thought  to  perform  more  journeys,  and,  co'  equently 

mon.     Cadwallader  accounts  for  the  latter  circum- 
stance in  various  ways.     The  greatness  of  the  inte" 
media te  distances  is  the  chief  of  his  reasons.    But  the 
mental  activity  of  the  people,  together  wi  hTl  e  ab 
sence  of  want,  are  thought  to  have  a  propor  onate 
effect.     I  hear  wonders  of  the  throngs  that  are  seen 
at  certain  seasons,  on  the  avenues  which  lead  from 
tiie  interior  to  any  of  the  great  markets.     My  com? 
panion  assures  me  he  once  counted  eight  liundred 
wagons  in  the  distance  of  forty  miles,  most  of  which 
were  conveying  wheat  ts  the  city  of  Albany.    On  the 
same  road  there  were  sixty  taverns  in  a  distance  of  as 
XavS  '  '  "'  P""""^'"  itself  of  the  amount 


♦  Part  of  the  North  of  Ittly  may,  perhap,.  be  eicepted. 


58 


APPEARAATE    OF    COUNTRV. 


f  1: 


Now  all  this  does  not  at  all  comport  witii  our 
vague  European  notions  of  America.  We  are  ant  to 
!"^°«  .•'  "  thinly  populated,  wooded  aiTfert/e 
though  httle  cultivated  region.  Thinly  populated  i/ 
assuredly  is,  when  the  whole  number^oHts  square 
tToi''  "CT"'*^  to  the  whole  amount  of  i^'/o^la' 
tion.  But  from  what  I  have  seen  and  heard  f  feel 
persuaded,  that  an  American,  who  undSod  hi 
gound  m^ht  conduct  a  stranger,  who  kn^f  "nlit 

whch  shall^;^  tT  "^  *^T"*''^'  "^^■-  «  territorf 
wnicn  shall  greatly  exceed  France   in  extent    anrf 

leave  the  impression  on  the  mind  of  his  gSest    hatt 

was  more  populous   than   the  latter  kSm      in 

hazarding  this  opinion,  however,  I  exc^t ffe'" 

£^:;=a^S-^.tii3 

signt,  and  when  he  enters  a   wnr.^    u  ■  \\ 

Xitd'ir-ve '"  '"^  "^^^  ^-'^■^ ' '^- a: 

ntervals ;  the  hrghways  were  not   thronglZs  dl 
scnbgd  by  Cadwallader   it  is  im^  K„t  P  ^ 

;-vellers^than  is  usual^I;  Ihe^e™:,'.  of  Ja^^^It.Tn" 
Scarcely  recollect  the  moment  when  my  Jye  iould 
not  discover  groups  of  field  labourers.     6[  wood 
there  was  certainly  plenty ;  but  of  fore  ts  with  ^h 
exception  of  now  and  the^  L  n.ounta  n'tarce^l  any" 
At  the  latter  fact,  no  less  than  at  the  ai;  of  nonulous' 
ness  which  distinguishes  this  portion  of  tKn^rv 
I  have  been  greatly  surprised.     I  passed  seveml  com 
paratively  barren  tracts  which  were  su^lZt^T' 
tarn  what  wood  they  might,  and  I   aw  Set  If  uT 
even,  broken  land,  that  nroK«i.i.,  ...Vi.  ■  .^^?  "'  ""■ 
native  shades;  but  the" ch^ara'SeT oFtte'^hde ^ 


WOOD-rERTIL.TY    OP    SPOTS,    ETC.  59 

appeared  Kio'd"  ttrwir^::::.!-  ^^"7 
remembered  the  inhabitants  uJZholhe^t^  "  'j 

htvr„T:oii'--''°-«-^^-^^^^^^^ 

I  should  not  describe  Npw  PnrrU^  i 
larly  fertile  recrjon    i  i     ^^^^-^^ng^and  as  a  particu- 

It  .s  rather  a  gn.zing,  than  a  grain  com  ryteh^' 
former,  it  is  well  ad^nf*.^ «  fK^  i      ,  ""'v-     ^or  the 

abundance  they  had  lavished  on  their  possessor  in 

ui  tne  qualitj  o(  the  soil,  no  less  than  of  the  climate 
throughout  most  of  the  Union.     Where  maSe  win 
not  grow,  the  husbandman  is  reluctant  to  dweU     I 
furnishes  a  healthful  nourishment  for  man  anTbeast 
nor  LS  there  any  useful  animal  that  will  not  thrive 

Sad  not'-    '  '*''  "f  *"*•'  P'^'^  -  solitary^ " 
that  had  not  more  or  less  maize  n  cultivation      It  i, 

universally  called  "corn"  „„r  ....//.™       i.  "  !' 

enous    to    the   country,   sometimes    the    word 

s  prefixed.     But  when   an   American   says 


indige 
Ind" 


60 


MAIZE NEW-ENGLAND    VILLAGES. 


I, if  !' 


invariably  means 
ows  J 


"  corn,"  he 

did  plant  as  it  gi 

appearance  any  o 

It  IS  said  to  be  still  finer  and  more 


maize."    It  is  a  splen- 
this  country,  surpassing  in 


ams  to  iiijsl  iindrv.      f 
luxur 


the 


- — ...*,^»  «.ju.  ijiv/ic  lUAuriant  to  ine 

south,  but  to  me,  there  was  great  pleasure,  iis  T  saw 
It  here,  m  gazmg  at  its  broad,  gracefully  cur/ing,  dark 
green  blades,  as  they  waved  in  the  wind.  It  was  in 
the  tassel,  and  its  ordfLary  hei^.i.  could  not  be  much 
less  than  eight  feet  Many  fields  must  have  exceed  d 
this  growth. 

New-Engiantl   may   justly  glory   in   its   villages  ! 
Wctwi!,i„,uding  the  number  of  detacLed  houses  that 
are  evcrr  wUevc  seen,  villages  are  far  from  unfre- 
quent,  and  ohm  coiitain  a  population  of  some  two 
or  three  i^. .  s^^nd      In  space,  freshne..,  an  air  of 
neatness  and  of  comfort,  they  far  exceed  any  thine  I 
have  ever  seen,  even  in  the  mother  couo'ry      With 
now  and  then  an  exception  of  some  one  a.riong  them 
tha^  possesses  a  more  crowded,  commercial,  or  man u- 
iacturmg  population,  than  common,  they  all  partake 
of  the  same  character.     I  have  passed,  in  one  dav' 
SIX  or  seven  of  these  beautiful,  tranquil  and  enviable 
looking  ham  ets,  for  not  one  of  which  have  I  been 
able  to  recollect  an  equal  in  the  course  of  all  my 
European  travelling.     They  tell  me,  here,  that  vil^ 
lages  or  small  towns,  abound  in  the  newer  portions 
01  the  northern  and  western  states,  that  even  eclipse 
tho.e  of  JNew-England,  since  they  unite,  to  all  the 
neat.es.  and  space  of  the  latter,  the  improvement 
ot  a  still  more  modern  origin 

New  Filn^^"""^  *^  ^^""^  ™^^^'^  ^y^  ^  sketch  of 
JNew-E^gland  scenery,  you  are  to  draw  upon  your 

imagination  for  the  following  objects.     Frnv  y  /our 

self  on  some  elevation  tha^ill^comman  .t^^^ 

Uywithm  this  boundary  must  be  unddf^i,  u-  rising  in 
bold  swells,  or  occasionallv  PvhiKJf;..  „  .  Ifl  "^ '" 
a  ragged  surface.     But-the;;!;:^^.:;;;':^^:;  ^ 


livd 


A    NEW-ENGLAND    LANDSCAPE.  ei 

Here  and  there  a^L'^-r'"^'"'^''  highways. 

quality  of^\t"iXTvi„™  t 'd;S,|*'°"'  ""^ 
oi  ine  sou.    Cattle  are  to  be  seen  srnyWicr  in  fK^  fi  u 

qu  et  and  abundance,  or  occasionally  swelling  it  out 

and  ,0^'^'";"  of  villages,  a  wider  range  If  Ms 

112         '""^  ^"'i^y-  "•^''gli  "Wch  a  third  rate 
Amencan  river  winds  its  way  to  the  ocean  are  in 

vS  Tl^  T''^"''lT  -"  -''-e  aCo'stTve"; 

exj;r r'?f  !!:!H•?f:fJ!':°r*^?-P'-'  y-  cannot 
r     -    -..  v.^  rrxiic  vcij  pruiounaiy  on  so  shoi-f  an 

tZZT'- ,  ^T''^\'  •''"^^^■•'  *«tyou  may  know 
how  to  estimate  the  value  of  the  opinions  I  shall  vea- 


6S 


INTERCOURSE  WITH  THE  PEOPLE. 


ture  to  give,  it  is  necessary  that  you  should  leam  the 
circumstances  under  which  they  have  been  formed. 
Before  parting  from  Cadwallader,  I  requested  he 
would  give  me  some  brief  written  directions,  not  only 
of  the  route  I  was  to  pursue,  but  of  the  manner  in 
which  I  was  to  regulate  my  intercourse  with  the  peo- 
ple. I  extract  the  substance  of  his  reply,  omitting 
the  line  of  route  he  advised,  which  is  already  known 
to  you. 

"  As  respects  intercourse  with  the  inhabitants,  your 
path  is  perfectly  plain.    You  speak  the  language  with 
what  we  call  the  intonation  of  an  Englishman.     In 
America,  while  there  are  provincial,  or  state  peculi- 
arities, in  tone,  and  even  in  the  pronunciation  and* 
use  of  certain  words,  there  is  no  patois.     An  Ameri- 
can may  distinguish  between  the  Georgian  and  the 
New-Englandman,  but  you  cannot.    In  this  particular 
our  ears  are  very  accurate,  and  while  we  can,  and 
do  pass  for  natives  every  day  in  England,  it  is  next  to 
impossible  for  an  Englishman  to  escape  detection  in 
America.   Five  out  of  six  of  the  whole  English  nation, 
let  them  be  educated  ever  so  much,  retain  something 
ofthe  peculiarity  of  their  native  county.    The  excep- 
tions are  much  fewer  than  they  suppose  ther  selves, 
and  are  chiefly  in  the  very  highest  circles.    But  there 
18  also  a  slang  of  society  in  England,  which  forms  no 
part  of  the  true  language.    Most  of  those  who  escape 
the  patois,  adopt  something  of  the  slang  of  the  day. 
There  is  also  a  fashion  of  intonation  in  the  mother 
country  which  it  is  often  thought  vulgar  to  omit.    All 
these  differences,  with  many  others,  which  it  may  be 
cunous  to  notice  hereafter,  mark  the  Englishman  at 
once.     I  think,  therefore,  you  will  be  mistaken  for  a 
native  of  some  of  the  less  accurate  counties  of  Eng- 
land.    It  will,  in  consequence,  be  necessary  for  you 
to  be  more  on  your  guard  against  offence  than  if  you 
were  thought  a  German,  ar  a  FrAn^Kr«o«     tk^  :,«« 
sons  for  this  caution  are  perfectly  obvious.     It  is  not 


ii^i. 


ENGLISH  TRAVELLERS. 


63 


because   the   AmpHran    ;. .^  i- 

tmmhle?    hi  l^  ^""t^^""^^  >«  proverbially  the 
giuinoier.     jt  is  generally  enough  for  Inm    iU^  i! 

meets  an  usage  dffferent  from  Zt  to  wWch  he  h»t 
been  accustomed,  to  condemn  it.   It  is  pSlJ  true 
tt    ^l!!!'^"'^^"*  ""''  ^'^^y  '"'^nted  indivrdual  of 

more   impunity  than   in   America      In   Franco    i'^ 

to  ti,  nk  hiT  countrv"  ■"*"'  •'"  P^-^i"""-^.  is  disused 
or  anatetr'"tt:r„T„r?C;i^^^ 
me  sneer,  but  he  knows  whence  it  comes      ThoimK 

fnr  tr  ff 'T'>  ""  ^"'=''  """^i-'-'s.  iHs  not  rafe 
w,V»H  °f"t"'' •?="■'/  '°  '*'»^''  ^^henever  the  cas^ 
will  admit  of  his  interference.  The  consequence  ha« 
^^"'  ^t,  as  a  class,  the  Enghsh  tn^vellernow  ^. 
have  themselves  better  in  America  than  in  anV  otW 
country.  But  a  character  has  been  gaiU^and  iJ 
will  require  a  good  deal  of  time  to  eradfcate  it    The 

K  I'toXoftt!!  •^■■-  "°'^-  '*'"' Ws  mas! 
^i  mat  me  people  of  the  inns  "  are  surprised  to  find 

Englishmen  behave  so  well."     But  after  aU,  with  a 

..  .ubtract  from  tto  ™ou„t  o(lot"^LTJIt'  %:I''..^«""'\^r 
man  m  question  chosen  any  other  part  of  Enal'.nH  .fc  ""i  ^""i"*' 
lu=  -night  have  found  s„n,eVtexf'?^'  hfs  o;flt  "■""  ^''•'"">' 


64 


NEVV-ENOLAND  INN-KfcEPER. 


ji 


great  deal  that  i8  not  only  absurd,  but  offensive,  there 
IS  something'  thpl  xmy  ^e  excused  in  the  discontent 
of  an    En^'^sir.r.an,    r  hen   travelhng    in    a   foreign 
country,      i  lie   wealth  of  an  inrimense  empire  has 
centered  at  home,  in  a  conriparatively  diminutive  kin<v- 
dom,  and  he  who  can  command  a  tolerable  propor- 
tion of  that  wealth  may  purrb-^^p  -  degree  of  comfort 
that  IS  certainly  not  to  I.    obtamed  out  of  it.     But 
comiort  IS  not  the  only  consequence  of  those  broad 
distinctions   between    the   veiy  lich,  and   the  very 
poor    It  is  saying  nothing  new,  to  say  that  the  lower 
orders  of  the  English,  more  particularly  those  who 
are  brought  m  immediate  contact  with  the  rich,  ex- 
ceed all  other  Christians  in  abject  servility  to  their 
superiors.     It  may  be  new,  but  in  reflecting  on  the 
causes,  you  will  perceive  it  is  not  surprising,  that  on 
the  contrary,  the  common  American  should  be  more 
natural,  and  less  reserved  in  his  communications  with 
men  above  him  in    the  scale  of  society,  than  the 
peasant  of  Europe.  While  the  Enrrlish  traveller,  there- 
Jore,  IS  more  exacting,  the  American  labourer  is  less 
disposed  to  be  submissive  than  usual.  E     overyatfen- 
tion  within  the  bounc^-  of  reason  will  be  shown  you, 
though  It  is  not  thought  in     ^ason,  in  New-England 
especially,  thai  one  n  an  sho     !  assun  ^  a  tone  of  con- 
hrmed  superiority  over  the  rest  of  mankind,  merely 
because  he  v^ears  a  better  coat,  or  has  more  money 
in  his  purse.     Notwithstandih^-  this  stuoborn  temper 
ot  independence,  no  man  better  understands  the  obli- 
gations between  him  who  p  rs,  and  him  who  re- 
ceives, than  the  native  o    Ne^    England.     The  inn- 
keeper of  Old  England,  r   J  f     inn-keeper  of  New- 
Ji^ngland,  form  the  very  extieme    of  their  cL,  s.    The 
one  IS  obsequious  to  the  rich,  the  other  unmov.  d,  and 
often  apparently  cold.     The  first  seems  to  calculate 
at  a  glance,  the  amount  of  profit  you  are  likely  to 
leave  behind  you  ;  while  his  opposite  appears  only  to 
calculate  m  what  manner  he  can  most  contribute  to 


MIS  CHARAOTER  AND   SITUATION  IN  Llri.         64 

your  comfort,  without  materially  impairing  his  own. 
It  .9  a  mistake,  however,  that  the  latter  Xd  wTth 

nim  as  mile  as  the  subject  does  any  other  possessor 
dispute  It.  He  s  often  a  magistrate,  the  chief  of  a 
K     Hlr^'Tr"  "  -"^-l^rofastatelSs! 

t  is^ffic^lr.  1  '^  tl'^^y'  "  ">""  of  characterjor 
It  18  diftcult  for  any  other  to  obtain  a  hcense  to  ex- 

superior u"t!'"f.   '/  '%'>'•'  «- P^de  of  "o'nfciot 
superiority,  he  is  not  waiitiu-  m  its  principles.     He 

ha.  often  even  more :  he  I       frequently  a  peculiar 

pride  in  his  profession,     f  have  known  a  pfiblkan 

who  filled  a  high  and  responsible  situation  JtCt^ 

ernment  of  the  first  sltte  of  this  confederation  Iffi- 

cZ:u':r*'\T^  '■^^''s^ '» -^  ?'»« of  securi?;,  b* 

cause  he  thought  it  was  his  duty  to  protect  my  oroD- 

would  no-  ,  .vc  impaired  his  domestic  importanoe 
by  such  a.  act.  He  would  have  called  upKh^ 
hn      , '•^■"■^"S;'  .""J    John  would    probably  have 

sislanc( .  .  ,otli  cases,  the  work  would  be  done  I 
grant  you  ;  but  ...  ler  very  different  feeltngT  I  p^.^ 
frss  t,    no  „.^re  knowledge  of  the  boast^  English 

n.-keeper,  than  what  any  one  may  gain,  who  has 
aayellcd  among  them,  in  ,  Ty  manner,  f^m  a  s^at 
on  (he  top  of  a  stage-coach,  f  one  in  I  poTt-ch^'e 
and  four     But,  with  tl«>  pu    .can  of  New.&igland 

have  a  long  and  intimate  cquaintance,  and  « 
lessly  affirm,  tliat  li  ha.,  been  ,h..  subject  of  much 
and  groundless  calumny. 

"  If  servility,  ai  ..ir  of  ,.mpressemen.'  -id  a  mercp- 
nury  interest  m  j  our  comfo/s,  form  essen  als  to  you^ 
banpiness  and  self-complace  .y,  E,  .land  ith  a  Til 
pockcl,  against  the  worl,  !„;  if  ?^„  1  Ju.*.'"" 
receive  consister     civility,  great  k    dness,  and 


a  temp,  'ate  respect,  h    \.hich  he 


&2 


ho  serves  jou 


ff 


66 


DFFFEriKNCE  BETWEEN  INN-KEEPERS. 


iSPl!'  « 


consults  his  own  chamcter  no  less  than  yours,  and  all 
at  a  cheap  rate,  you  will  travel  not  only  in  New- 
England,  but  throughout  most  of  the  United  States, 
with  perfect  satisfaction.     God  protect  the  wretch, 
whom  poverty  r.   J  disease  shall  attack  in  an  English 
inn  !    Depend  on  it,  their  eulogies  have  been  written 
by  men  who  were  unaccustomed  to  want.    It  is  even 
a  calamity  to  be  obliged  to  have  a  saving  regard  to 
the  contents  of  your  purse,  under  the  observation  of 
their  K  nrcenary  legions  I     There  seems  an  intuitive 
ability  in  all  that  belongs  to  them,  to  graduate  your 
wealth,  your  importance,  and  the  extent  of  their  own 
servility.     Now,  on  the  other  hand,  a  certain  reason- 
ing  distinction  usually  controls  the  manner  in  which 
the  American  inn-ker[)er  recedes  his  guests.  He  pays 
greater  attention  to  the  gentleman  than  to  the  tin- 
pedlar,  becau!,e  he  knows  it  is  necessary  to  the  habits 
ol  the  former,  and  because  he  thinks  it  is  no  more 
than  a  just  return  for  the  greater  price  he  pays.    But 
he  IS  civil  and  even  kind,  to  both  alike.     Fie  some- 
times makes  blunders,  it  is  true,  for  he  meets  with 
characters  that  are  new  to  him,  or  is  required  to  de- 
cide on  distinctions  of  which  he  has  no  idea.   A  hale 
well-looking,  active,  and  intelligent  American,  will 
scarcely  ever  submit  his  personal  comforts,  or  the 
hourly  control  of  his  movements,  to  the  caprices  of 
another,  by  becoming  a  domestic  servant.     Neither 
would  tne  European,  ifhe  could  do  any  thing  better. 
Jt  IS  not  astonishing,  therefore,  that  a  publican,  in  a 
retired  quarter  of  the  country,  should  sometimes  be 
willing  to  think  that  the  European  servants  he  ?ees. 
are  entitled  to  eat  with  their  masters,  or  that  he  call** 
both  ^gentlemen.'     A  striking  and  national  trait  in 
the  American,  is  a  constant  and  grave  regard  to  the 
^elmgs  of  others.     It  is  even  more  peculiar  to  New- 
li^ngland,  than  to  any  other  section  of  our  country. 

It  IS  the  best  and  surAsf  friilf  r^f  1>:„U       ..:i:__x:--       XT*'. 

that  civilization  which  chisels  marble  and  gilds  salom. 


ADVICE  TO  TRAVKLlEltl!.  (7 

i»hcd  and  ,.nlr  ii  "'7'"«'»n«,,  make,  men  poI- 
isnca,  and,  under  all,  renders  them  humane  In  Ihi. 
par  icular,  America  «,  beyond  a  doubt  the  mo  ! 
c.y,hzed  nat,o„  fn  the  world,  inasmuch  as  the  a^e 

artd  wi?h  tr""^k'"'^^^""  -<»  comfort,  c^lm: 

"FrorL,efacT  '■''''''''  """''."S '^e  an  equal. 

Icd-e  of  thi  n<.i      ;  /**"  ™*^  *""''^  8'^an  a  know, 
icagc  o(  the  personal  treatment  you  are  likclv  to  re 

did  nol  fb?^  American  of  healtliful  feelings,  who 

t-od.  It  IS  not  necessary  here  ""  "o  say,  tnank 

serveVou'wftif ™'''f'',f'  "!'  ""'^^'  *°  '««*  "'o^e  who 
scivc  you  with  great  attention  to  their  feelincs      An 

nstance  may  serve  as  an  example.    A  few  years 'sini 

ler  o'n  the  Than.erth  n  oiTthe  Carj'"  Tri''t 
.nan   ook  d  a  little  surprised, ^n^Yf^a  dlafd'e^ 

you  will  g,    forward,  we  shall  be  more  comfort- 


68 


ADVICE  TO  TRAVELLERS* 


;1 


i  1 

^H  ^ 

i 

^H "! 

^H  ■.'{  '  > 

^^H  r3 

■  '^ 

1 

^H  I 

f 

■  i 

t 

■1 

Hi 

^^^^1 

I; 

able.    '  Oh !  with  all  my  heart,  Sir,'  returned  the  man, 
who  complied  without  any  further  hesitation.     The 
8am.e  individual,  if  left  to  his  own  suggestions,  or  not 
assailed  in  his  pride,  would  probably  have  plunged 
into  the  lake  for  our  pleasure,  and  that,  too,  without 
stoppmg  to  consider  whether  he  was  to  get  six-pence 
for  his  ducking.   With  this  single  caution  you  may  go 
from  Maine  to  Georgia  with  perfect  safety,  and,  most 
of  the  distance,  with  sufficient  comfort ;  often  with 
more  even  than  in  England,  and,  generally,  at  a  price 
which,  compared  with  what  you  receive,  is  infinitely 
below  the  cheapest  rate  of  travelling  in  any  part  of 
Europe.  It  is  a  !-.uicrous  mistake,  that  you  must  treat 
every  American  as  your  companion  in  society,  but  it 
IS  very  necessary  that  he  should  be  treated  as  your 
equal  in  the  eye  of  God." 

I  must  leave  you,  for  the  moment,  with  this  rnorceau 
from  the  pen  of  Cadwallader,  who  writes  as  he  speaks, 
like  a  man  who  thinks  better  of  his  countrymen  than 
we  have  been  accustomed  to  believe  they  deserve. 
I  must  postpone,  to  my  next,  the  commentaries  that 
my  own  trifling  experience  has  suggested  on  his  the- 
ory.—Adieu. 


TO  SIR  EDWARD  WALLER,  BART 

ice.  &c. 


New- York,  ■ 

Although  stages,  as  the  public  coaches  are,  by 
corruption,  called  in  this  country,  run  on  most  of  the 
roads  travelled  in  my  recent  journey,  I  decided  to 
make  the  excursion,  at  a  little  cost,  in  a  private  con- 

on  horizontal  springs,  with  a  driver  and  a  pair  of  fleet, 


led  the  man^ 
ition.  The 
tions,  or  not 
ve  plunged 
;oo,  without 
it  six-pence 
you  may  go 
r,  and,  most 
often  with 
S  at  a  price 
is  infinitely 
any  part  of 
I  must  treat 
liety^  but  it 
ed  as  your 

lis  morceau 
3  he  speaks, 
ymen  than 
ij  deserve, 
itaries  that 
on  his  the- 


ISLAND  OF  MANHATTAN. 


69 


T 


rk, 

es  are,  by 
lost  o£  the 
lecided  to 
ivate  con- 
j  re- wagon 
lir  of  fleet, 


well-formed  horses    were  procured  for  five  dollars 

It^'  Th'^''''  ?^^*  *^^^^  ^^^"  ^^^  fo*-  the  same 
suni.     This  price,  however,  was  the  highest,  and  in- 

eluded  every  charge     There  was  ample  ^cm  for 
Fritz  and  myself,  with  what  baggage  we  needed  and 
a  vacant  seat  by  the  side  of  ttf  Coachman      dp^ 
cious  leather  tops  protected  us  from  the  weather  and 
good  aprons  could,  if  necessary,  cover  our  feet     Jn 
short,   the   vehicle,  which  is   exceedingly  common 
here,  is  not  unlike  what  is  called  a  doubled  or  tZll- 
jng,  phaeton,  in  England.     You  are  to  ;emember 
here  is  no  travelling  post  in  America,    ^^.^f 
horses  can  certainly  be  had,  between  the  princ  pa 
owns,  at  a  reasonably  short  notice;  but  the  ^ea 
facih  y,  rapidity,  ease,  and  cheapness  of  commuS 
t.on  by  steam-boats,  will  probably  for  a  lo^  t  me 
preven  posting  from  coming  into  fashion.         ^ 

We  leit  Manhattan  island,  on  which  New-York 
stands  by  a  ong  wooden  bridge  that  connects  it  wkh 
the  adjacent  county  of  West-Chester.  There  Ts  a 
singular  an  of  desertion  about  that  portion  of  this 
island  which  IS  not  covered  by  the  town,  and  wWch 
I  was  inclined  to  ascribe  to  a  sort  of  common  ex 
pectation  m  its  owners  that  the  ground  wouW  be 
soon  wanted  for  other  purposes  than  plantation,  of 
trees  or  pleasure-grounds.  It  is  said,  however  that 
a  delay  ,n  the  regulation  of  the  great  avenues  and 

^ZttltV^'  "*^'  ^  r ^-^^  theTppa^nt 
neglect.     Let  the  cause  be  what  it  may,  I  do  not 

remeniber  ever  to  have  seen  the  immediate  environs 

of  so  large  a  town  in  such  a  state  of  generaraban 

donment.     The  island. is  studded  with  viSs    W 

wh^h  ton\het:v;::r ' '-'  ^  ^^^^  ^^  *^-^ 


«i^^s^s:r^r;:r"  ™'^'^'/"  *^^«  ^-^  ^^  ^« 


70 


HIGHWAYS. 


f 


I 


4  ii 


yiil 


I  found  West-Chester  a  constant  succession  of  hills 
and  dales,  with  numberless  irregular  little  valleys, 
though  with  nothing  that,  in  English,  is  called  a 
mountain.  The  description  I  have  given  you,  in  my 
last  letter,  of  the  general  appearance  of  New-Eng- 
land, will  answer  perfectly  well  also  for  this  portion 
of  New-York.  The  villages  were  neither  so  beau- 
tiful, nor  so  numerous,  as  those  I  afterwards  passed ; 
but  in  the  character  of  the  land,  the  situation  and 
number  of  the  farm-houses,  the  multitude  of  high- 
ways, the  absence  of  forests,  and  the  abundance  of 
little  groves,  the  two  districts  are  precisely  the  same. 
As  respects  the  great  frequency  of  the  public  roads, 
tlie  peculiarity  is  subject  to  a  very  simple  explanation. 
You  will  remember  the  whole  country  is  subdivided 
into  the  smalF  freeholds  mentioned,  and  that  each 
citizen  has  a  claim  to  have  access  to  his  farm.  Each 
township,  as  parishes,  or  cantons^  are  here  called, 
has  the  entire  control  of  all  the  routes  within  its  own 
limits,  unless  the  road  be  the  property  of  u  chartered 
company.  These  highways  are  periodically  worked 
by  the  inhabitants,  agreeably  to  a  rate  of  assessment, 
which  is  regulated  according  to  the  personal  means 
of  each  individual.  Every  thing  of  a  public  nature, 
that  will  readily  admit  of  such  an  intervention,  is,  in 
this  republican  government,  controlled  by  the  people 
in  their  original  character.  Thus,  all  the  officers  of 
each  town  are  annually  elected,  by  its  inhabitants,  in 
what  are  called  "  the  town-meetings."  These  oihcers 
comprise  the  assessors  of  taxes,  their  collectors,  the 
overseers  of  the  highways,  &c.  &;c.,  and,  in  short,  the 
whole  of  its  police,  wi*^h,  perhaps,  the  exception  of 
the  magistrates,  who  receive  their  appointments  from 
different  sources.  Now,  it  is  evident,  that  when  the 
power  to  construct  and  to  repair  roads  and  bridges  is 
removed,  by  so  short  an  interval,  from  those  who  are 
most  affected  by  their  position  and  condition,  that  the 
public  servants,  as  the  officers  are  here  emphatically 


HIGHWAYS. 


71 


called,  must  pay  the  utmost  deference  to  the  public 
wiJi.     1  he  ordmary  routes  of  the  country  are,  there- 
lore,  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  will  most  accom- 
modate  those  who  work  them.     But,  as  this  arrange- 
ment must  often  produce  conveniences  that  are  more 
likely  to  satisfy  individuals   than   the  public,  great 
routes  that  unite  important  points  of  the  country,  are 
often  substituted  for  the  local  highways.  These ^reat 
routes  are  constructed  on  two  plans.   In  cases  where 
the  convenience  of  the  public  requires  it,  laws  are 
enacted  for  the  purpose  by  the  legislatures,  and  the 
route  IS  made  what  is  called  a  state^road.     In  others, 
where  it  is  believed  capitalists  may  be  induced  to 
invest  their  money,  charters  are  given,  a  rate  of  toll 
established,  and  the  road  becomes  the  property  of  a 
company    The  latter  are  numerous  in  New-England 
nor  are  the  charges  at  all  high. 

It  IS  evident  that  the  labour  of  constructing  the 
vast  number  of  roads  and  bridges  which  are  neces- 
sary  to  satisfy  the  public  and  private  wants  of  a  com- 
munity  that  does  not  exceed  the  population  of  Prus- 
sia, throughout  a  country  as  lai^e  as  half  Europe, 
must  be  exceedingly  burthensome.  What  I  have 
already  seen,  however,  has  given  me  the  most  re- 
spectful opmion  of  the  native  energy  of  this  people ; 
but  I  shall  not  anticipate  impressions,  which  may  be 

Infwt    l"""*'  ^^''l^*^'  ch^^ngeA,  as  I  «  prick  deeper 
nto  the  bowels  of  the  land."     Thus  far  I  can  say, 
that  nowhere  including  great  routes  and  cross-roads 
have  I  found  better  highways  than  in  New-England 
the  mother  country  alone  excepted.     If  the  former 
are  not  so  good  as  in  England,  the  latter  are,  how- 
ever, often  better.     Perhaps  I  travelled  at  a  favour- 
to  v    T  ^-   ^^^^  ^^^'*'  ^"*  *^^^   ^"*^ges,  the  cause- 
ways, the  diggings,  and  the  levellings,  must  be  there 
"«.  ail  seasoijB. 

whHo  w"?"™'?^-  °^  *^  'f  """^  "^^y-  ""y  coachman,    ' 
while  trotting  leisurely  along  ar.  excellent   p^ih 


I'fTf, 


'I 
1 


W         EXEMPTIONS  PBOM  VISITS  OP  THE  POWCE. 

*e  State  rteect  cut  ™orh"T  "'""'  K'"'"' 
ally  thrust  into  my  pocket  ^rsLrl""*/  """'•'""''■ 
and  a  glance  of  th^  i;:^^  l^^^^,  the7Zr„' 
S:^f  t?  /^"if "  tt>e  nafure  of  th™:o„t4ba„d  aXks 

individual  in  the  hotel,  to  whom  I  addressed  mvself 
dul  not  understand  me!  Further  inquiry  told  Z^w' 
such  things  were  utterly  unknown  in  America    Mv 

.hfSf  r'  '^'^^^  *'  ^e  Custom-house  withoS 
fihaiige  M  any  sort,  except  a  trifling  oflcial  f^  for  a 

to  ask  or  cla-m  compensation  for  what  I  could  havp 
done  better  without  him.  I  paid  a  cartman  half^! 
dollar  for  transporting  the  trunks  to  my  "odSn«s 
where,  assisted  by  the  servants  of  the  house  Ihfv' 
were  placed  in  the  proper  room,  and  then  every  body 
lently  disappeared,  as  if  no  more  had  bee^  done 
ttian  wha    was  naCrally  required  by  the   "ircum 

oteerved  at  my  iandmg  m  America.     My  entrance 

!^  ^rKr""",^'"  "ot  distinguished  b/a^morc 
remarkable  m.  i<'..   ..     "  When  shall  we  reach  the 

fi  S,u    ^l^eheve  the  hne  is  along  the  wall  of  th-* 

^t;  e  lit!  nH?""?  'T'r'y  '"^"^  hi-  "  m^i 
Ir^  f  -^  ''^.  ^  distinguish  the  boundary  be- 
ween  two  mdependenf  sovereignties  ?  No  oflicei^  of 

the  customs,  „o  agents  of  tJ„,  p*ohce,  nor  any  o.«  to 

ask  us  wheie  we  go,  or  wiien^  we  come7'    tk! 

«iver  looked  at  me,  as  if  he  distrusted  my  reason'a 


<.       ' 


CONNEXION  or  THE  niri.>„„,. 

iME  DirPEBENT  STATES.  73 

little ;  but  he  continued  mute     Thi.     i    . 

from  one  state  to  anothJ  '^  "'*^"*  passage 

pression  IhavVobCed  of fr-  T  *^  '*'^'  *■•"«  '«- 
connexion  which  unTt^fh;        \"*""*'^  "^'"-^  of  the 

-y  ^tudy  its"thrr?"„%7p:rrff"'«--   One 
without  arrivins  at  so  ii.,I  i^'^         •  *  '^elvemonth, 
of  the  national  characCr»  ?f  ?P*'on  of  the  identitv- 
as  I  have  acquirtiTvfJtW  Int*'''  "''""'  P<"'P'« 
ner,  six  of  tLir  sove^Sl's    and  inTT'"*  """" 
where  so  great  a  similar^  of  'm"„er^        I"^  '^^'^ 
ppinions,  unmoJested  by  a  sinpWffi^  .'/""""""''  «"«' 
's  something  Jifce  it  ceLi!  t^-  ^"*'  '"'■"'•    There 
but  you  arl  governed  w'^' '"  ^'""'  '"^»  <^ountiT; 
and  one  parliament    h7        uP"''*=^'  «"«  ""nister 
laws,  levfes  L™wn  taxes  knT*"  '*'''  '="'"=''  "«  ow^ 
minute  and  deli^te  fi,.  .*      exercises  all  the  mort 

The  United  iZ:1,/ZeZ  tf  ^'T  P^^^^ 
country,  I  believe,  into  whiVh  ,    .*^  °°'^  "^■''^«'- 

without  being  liable  to  imtL'  orT""  '""  ""*^' 
the  agents  of  the  nnli,-^  '^'™sions  on  his  puvacy  by 

now  ^sed,  through^°^,VE„t""'"'"^.*''  P°^«  « 
tion  and  moderS  •  bit  rf'  ""*  S'^*'  *««re- 

*«'<•  happy,  that  never  feels  a  *  7^^,  T^  •''««■» 
ercise.    To  whaf  ;=  fk-    '^'^^^,^'^7  necessity  for  its  ex- 

their  positbnT  th  i^^tX'^n nr/"^'""  °"'»g^  To 
or  to  the  height  of  cTviffi"  Pnl"  1°  *' ''^'"^^ 
ICO,  and  Bralil,  and  a  dofon  oi  ^'''<""^'«'  an('  Mex- 
from  Europe,  and  far  t?«  ^"^i'  ^""^  J"'* «'  ''emote 
civilizatio  ■/notlnofil  P°P"lous.  Absence  of 
countries  ^v.,ere  1  fe  ch  ra^L'^'?'"  "^  ''''^^'^*'  *" 
than  usually  resp^letuZ'w.C'TV''  r^' 
been  too  apt  to  confourn    l,       V       • '  *=•'  ^^  have 

Sr-:i«~^9:rLn^^ 

H  - 


i 


H 


74 


PASSAGE  or  A  STATE  TRONTIER. 


the  great  desiderata  of  order  and  reason,  thev  have 
some  most  ingenious  methods  of  imposing  on  the  senses 
of  a  traveller,  who,  I  can  affirm,  is  often  at  an  uttei 
loss  to  discover  the  machinery  by  which  the  wheels 
01  the  social  engine  are  made  to  roll  on  so  smoothly 
so  swiftly,  and  so  cheap.  I  have  not  seen  a  bayonet 
(except  among  the  militia  who  received  La  Fayette  ) 
^gendarme,  a  horse-patrol,  a  constable,  (to  know 
him,)  nor  a  single  liveried  agent  of  this  secret  power, 
in  short,  if  one  should  draw  somewhat  literally  on  the 
ten  commandments  for  rules  to  govern  his  intercourse 
with  those  around  him,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  he  midit 
pass  his  whole  life  here  without  necessarily  arrivuig 
at  the  practical  knowledge  that  there  is  any  govern- 
iiicni  at  aij« 

"  ]Sow  we  are  in  New-York  again,"  said  my  driver, 
some  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  after  he  had  assured  me 
we  had  entered  Connecticut.     The  apparent  contra- 
diction was  explained  by  a  winding  in  the  road,  which 
had  led  us  through  the  extreme  point  of  an  angle  of 
the  latter  state.     I  looked  around  me  in  every  direc- 
tion, in  order  to  discover  if  the  least  trace  of  any 
ditlerences  in  origin,  or  customs,  could  be  seen.     I 
remembered  to  have  heard  Cadwallader  say,  that  the 
efiects  of  the  policy  pursued  by  the  different  States, 
were  sometimes  visible,  to  an  observant  traveller,  at 
a  glance,  and  that  he  could  often  tell  when  he  had 
passed  a  State  line,  by  such  testimony  as  his  eye  alone 
could  gather.     As  I  could  not  then,  nor  have  not 
siiK-e,  been  able  to  detect  any  of  these  evidences  of  a 
different  policy,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  Ame- 
ncans  themselves  make  some  such  distinctions  in  the 
case,  as  those  by  which  the  connoisseurs  can  tell  the 
colouring  of  one  painter  from  that  of  another,  or  those 
by  which  they  know  the  second  manner  of  the  divine 
master  of  the  art  from  his  third.* 

*  A  more  mtelligible  distinction  certainly  became  apparent 
between  the  slave-holding  and  non-slave-holding  state*. 


JOHN    JAY. 


75 


Before  leaving  the  State  of  New-Ynrt  fh^ 
time,  T  had  an  oDDortimJf^  Z  ^^^^^  *^ork  the  second 
one  of  u  ose  LtErjy    ^  ^^^T^  ^  '^""^  ^i^it  to 

comparison  ivith  any  t3  thtf  hw     confidence  in 
The  deeds  of  the  7IhtoJnl       \    ''^^'^  ™^>^  ^oast. 

The  agents  of  the  Rr  til  '"^'"8^  of  antiquity, 

ceived  an  answer  fta    l^^'t'°g«*ed  Patriot,  re- 

republican  "that  I  an,  not  worttf  buyS  ^t  ""I! 
as  I  am,  the  king  of  Endand  i.  l.f  •'^^'  I '  *  f""^'' 
make  the  purchlse!"     ^  ""^  '"^  ^"""S^  *» 

.  The  individual  at  whose  residence  T  >  i,j  „ 

Zn  lar^r  ir^^  ^ftrpUiic  ^vir,Taf 

greater  power.*     He  xLTht..       ^'^^^^^'S^^ty,  or 
*^  "^  ^^^^'  however,  early  sent  on 

offit^J"J!w;A^,^«»  '"ade  in  Europe,  by  bJendin.  ♦K^^  „^„:__. 

Cong...    At  present,  cL^e^^^Zi:^:]:^^:^^ 


V 


J  i.  ii 


■■■■( 


76  HIS  SERVICES,  AND  PRESENT  RETIREMENT. 

foreign  missions  of  great  delicacy,  and  of  the  last  im- 
portance. He  resided  a  long  time  in  Spain,  unac- 
knowledged, it  is  true,  but  eminently  serviceable  by 
the  weight  of  his  character,  and  the  steadiness  of  his 
deportment.  He  signed  the  treaty  of  peace,  (in  con- 
junction with  Franklin  and  the  elder  Adams,)  having 
a  singularly  important  agency  in  bringing  about  that 
event  which  secured  an  acknowledgment  of  his  coun- 
try's independence,  and  he  negotiated  the  first  treaty 
of  commerce  and  amity  with  Great  Britain.  An  anec- 
dote concerning  the  second  of  these  treaties  had  been 
related  to  me,  which  is  worthy  of  repetition,  though  I 
dare  not  give  you  any  better  authority  for  its  correct- 
ness, than  to  say  that  it  is  of  such  a  nature  that  I  be- 
lieve the  circumstances,  as  I  am  about  to  relate  them, 
are  essentially  true.  Indeed,  it  was  one  of  the  chief 
inducements  I  felt  for  intruding  on  the  privacy  of  a 
man,  whose  past  life  and  present  character  impart 
a  dignity  that  should  render  his  retirement  almost 
sacred. 

You  undoubtedly  know  that,  during  the  American 
war,  an  alliance  was  formed  between  France  and  the 


Senate  and  a  House  of  Representatives,  each  of  which  has  its 
presiding  officer.  The  Vice-President  of  the  United  States  is, 
ex  officio^  the  head  of  the  Senate,  though  a  substitute,  to  act  on 
occasion,  is  always  appointed,  who  is  called  the  President  of  the 
Senate.  The  style  by  which  the  Vice-President  is  addressed  in 
the  Senate,  is  "  Mr.  President."  The  House  of  Representatives 
has  a  Speaker,  like  the  English  parliament — he  is  addressed  as 
I' Mr.  Speaker."  An  individual  who  belongs  to  the  lov/er  house 
is,  in  common  parlance,  called  a  member  of  Congress,  and  one  of 
the  upper,  a  senator,  or  a  member  of  the  Senate.  These  distinc- 
tions, with  some  trifling  exceptions,  are  observed  in  all  the  state 
legislatures,  where  the  lieutenant-governors  commonly  perform 
the  duties  in  tlie  upper  houses,  that  the  Vice-President  discharges 
in  the  Senate  of  tlie  Urjited  States.  Thus,  though  there  is  a 
President  of  the  United  States,  a  President  of  the  Senate  (the 

Vir.R-PrfiKiHfint  n't  flip  TTnif«H  Kf!lfoa^   n-nA  o  Snnni.-^.  -^r tu-  rj 

■     -'    — — —..«... ^., .,...«.  •!  '^•yt\jvLS3.-us.  ui  iiicixvusc 

of  Representatives,  there  is  no  such  officer  now  known  to  the 
country  as  a  "  President  of  Congress." 


known  to  the 


ANECDOTE  OP  THE  TREATY  OF  1783.     77 

new  power.  One  of  the  cu.  ^mry  conditions  of  this 
treaty  was  a  stipulation  thai  peace  should  not  be 
made  by  either  party  without  the  consent  of  both. 
VVhen  England  had  become  sufficiently  prepared  by 
her  reverses  to  listen  to  amicable  propositions,  the 
American  government  ordered  their  minister  in  Spain 
(Mr.  Jay),  and  their  minister  in  Holland  (Mr.  Adams) 
to  proceed  to  Paris,  and  by  uniting  themselves  to  the 
minister  in  France  (Dr.  Franklin),  to  form  a  commis- 
nn  V      l"^?!*"*  ™^"^^  *^^  expected  negotiation 

.Ih  ^  ^^"^u^^  *  u^  "^Y  "^P"^^^^-    ^^^  ^a«er  of  these 
gent  emen  had  been  long  accredited  near  the  court 

plicity  of  manners  wisdom,  and  wit,  he  had  become 
an  object  of  singular  admiration  and  affection.     But 
the  Americans  say,  that  Franklin  was  a  much  better 
philosopher  than  politician.     Be  this  as  it  m.ght!  the 
s  ory  adds,  that  France,  now  the  drama  was  about  to 
:iose,  began  to  cast  about  her  for  the  profits  of  the 
representation.     The  Count  de  Vei^enn^es  had  early 
succeeded  m  persuading  Dr.  Franklin,  that  as  England 
could  not,  nor  would  not,  formally  acknowledge^ Ihe 
independence  of  America,  his  better  course  would  be 
to  accept  a  ^mce,  for  twenty  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  period  his  country  would  be  sufficiently  strong 
0  take  what  she  needed  for  herself.    The  philosophef 
s  said  to  have  acquiesced  in  this  opinion,  and  be^^an 
to  stir  his  mighty  reason  in  maturing  the  terms  of  this 
rerriarkable  truce.    In  this  state  of  mind  he  was  found 
by  Mr.  Jay,  on  his  arrival  from  Madrid.     The  latter 
was  not  slow  to  perceive  the  effects  of  such  a  course 
nor  to  detect  the  secret  source  whence  the  insidious' 
counsel  flowed      His  eyes  had  not  been  dazzled  by 

fJju^\^f\''L  ""L^  P^!^^K  "-tjon.     For  a  long 
.^  ..^  „^^„  coiiieiu  10  dwell  in  obscurity  in  • 

Npain,  sacrihcing  every  thing  but  his  country's  inters 
ests  to  his  manliness  and  directness  of  character.    He 

H  2 


78 


ANECDOTE — FRANKLIN,  ETC. 


r. 


si   '' 
ft    " 

!'■'. 


liiCi 


t  w 


had  steadily  declined  an  interview  with  the  king  ,  ' 
the  latter  country,  because  he  could  not  be  received 
openly  as  an  accredited  minister.     In  short,  hv.  had 
too  long  patieutly  submitted  to  mortifications  and  re- 
tirement, rather  than  compromise  the  character  of  his 
nation,  to  see  the  substance  at  which  he  aimed  so 
easily  converted  to  a  shadow.     Mr.  Jay  denounced 
the  policy  of  the  Count  de  Vergennes,  and  declared 
that  the  unqualified  independence  of  his  country  must 
be  a.  sine  qua  non  in  any  treaty  which  bore  his  name. 
Mr.  Adams  soon  joined  the  negotiation,  and  took  the 
side  of  independence.     Frankhn,  who  was  at  heart  a 
true  patriot,  suffered  the  film  to  be  drawn  from  his 
eyes,  and  perfect  union  soon  presided  in  their  coun- 
cils.    But  England  had  not  been  unapprized  of  the 
disposition  of  America  to  receive  a  truce.    Her  com- 
missioner, Mr.  Oswald,  appeared  with  instructions  to 
go  no  further.     Li  this  dilemma  a  step  is  ascribed  to 
Mr.  Jay, that  I  heleve  is  as  remarkable  for  its  bold- 
ness as  for  its  goad  sense.    He  is  said  to  have  written, 
with  his  own  hand,  to  the  English  Secretary  of  State, 
pointing  out  the  bad  consequences  to  England  her- 
self, if  she  adhered  to  her  present  policy.    By  keeping 
the  truce  suspended  over  America,  she  forced  that 
country  to  lean  on  France  for  support ;  whereas,  by 
admitting  her,  at  once,  into  the  rank  of  nations,  Eng- 
land would  obtain  a  valuable  customer,  and  might 
also  secure  a  natural  friend.     Thus  instructed  in  a 
better  policy,  the  English  minister  saw  his  error,  and 
-the  same  courier  who  conveyed  the  letter  of  Mr.  Jay, 
returned  with  instructions  to  Mr.  Oswald  to  acknow- 
ledge the  independence  of  the  United  States.     Find- 
ing  themselves  embarrassed  by  the  evasions  of  Count 
de  Vergennes,  believing  they  were  betrayed,  in  the 
spirit  of  their  alliance  at  least,  and  knowing   that 
France  could  not  find  the  smallest  difficulty  in  settling 
her  own  affairs  without  their  agency,  the  American 
commissioners  proceeded  to  sign  a  treaty  of  peace, 


Vl%^ 


the  kmg  ^  ' 
be  received 
lort,  he  had 
ions  ixiid  re- 
•acter  of  his 
e  aimed  so 
denounced 
id  declared 
)untry  must 
e  his  name, 
tid  took  the 
3  at  heart  a 
i^n  from  his 
their  coun- 
zed  of  the 
Her  corn- 
ructions  to 
iscribed  to 
)r  its  bold- 
ve  written, 
y  of  State, 
gland  her- 
Ty  keeping 
Dreed  that 
hereas,  by 
ions,  Eng- 
\nd  might 
icted  in  a 
error,  and 
f  Mr.  Jay, 
)  acknow- 
;s.     Find- 
1  of  Count 
id,  in  the 
ving   that 
in  settling 
American 
of  peace, 


OPPICES       PLD    BV   MR.  JAV,  ETC.  79 

found  that  1,,,  policy  had  not  succeeded  he  wrote  a 

befoT,  W  1  Trr'""^^'  "'''^''  I^---  ''™"'^""  aid 
Duorenisui.  Iior  commissionere.  It  was  mud  i,«^ 
to  perfo.,,  ,  ^reat  act,  like  the  one  in  whiT  Z 

been  engaged,  than  to  word  a  proprr  r.  .h^f 

TT'^u"'."'*""-     There  was  butTne  ," 

wh.ch  the,r  apparent  want  of  faith  could  I       ,s«fied 
and  (0  g,ve  (hat  to  the  Count  de  Vergenne.  mS 

mrp  tht    ■      ,  "'  *^^y  discovered  that  the  letter 

'01  e  the  simple  .erscription  of  Dr.  Franklin  and 
he  colleagues  or  .1,.  latter  imposed  on  h^  the  du"v 
f  answering  a  note,  which  they  gravely  insistpd  ^E 

wellte  ;f  '{  '"''r''  '"•  *•=  -™-i-ioi:r  „?w 

affair  mv^nf      ''-•""  'i''"'""^  himself  of  this  delicate 
affair,  mj  information  does  not  say;  but  thouirh  a  vot^ 

of  censure  on  the  commissioned  wa    proposed  ^ 
Congress,  their  conduct  was  thought,  und7?he  cir 

my  authortv^'sinc?'?'^  ^"^  ""  *'^  ^  """«'  "»•"" 

tra^nLtio^'^buTwil'SnTaTtrt?"""   *°  *^ 
able,  that  Ueheve  t^S^^  ^IZO^-; 

Si^i  TtttlteT^rt'"''™!"^  *^^-^^-*  -"■ 

Hamilton  aif/  Knf  t^i^^^'^Z^cliXT'S 
essays  under  the  signature  of  The  Federal  swhth 
ha,,  since  come  to  be  a  text-book  for  the  p  inS 
01  the  Amencan  government.  He  was  then  3^ 
Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States.  hav'L  !,!1'"„*1'' 

trprLd^o^F^l'n!!  f'^  "^-'sne^rin'ordTr" 
commerce  H»  =  "?.  *"  negotiate  the  treaty  of 
commerce.     He  was  afterwards  six  years  governor 


/ 


i 


'<'A'«f; 


^ 


'^•v^, 


^. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


Hi   lis 

^    tii    1112.0 


m 

LA.  11.6 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


// 


y.i 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


0 


1 


J    ', 


80 


OrnClAL   RANK    NO    CERTAIN   EVIDENCE. 


of  his  native  state  (New- York,)  after  which  he  rc 
tired  from  political  life  altogether,  refusing  the  office 
of  Chief  Justice  again,  which  wa^  offered  to  him  by 
his  old  coadjutor  Adams,  then  about  also  to  retire 
from  the  chair  of  the  presidency  of  the  United 
States* 

Since  the  latter  period,  near  five  and  twenty  years, 
Mr.  Jay  has  Hved  on  the  hereditary  estate  where  1 
saw  him,  enjoying  the  profound,  and  I  might  also  say, 
idolatrous  respect  of  all  who  enter  his  private  circle. 
As  his  manner  of  living  may  serve  to  give  you  a  better 
idea  of  the  usages  of  this  country,  I  will  endeavour  to 
give  a  short  description  of  so  much  of  it,  as  may  be 
done  without  violating  that  respect  which  is  due  to 
the  hospitality  and  frankness  of  my  reception.  I  shall 
merely  premise,  I  have  already  discovered  that  official 
rank,  in  this  country,  furnishes  no  certain  clue  to  the 
rank  of  an  individual  in  ordinary  society,  nor  conse- 
sequently  to  the  style  in  which  he  may  choose  to 
regulate  his  establishment.  In  order  that  you  may 
understand  me,  however,  it  is  necessary  that  I  should 
go  a  little  into  detail. 

One  hears  a  great  deal  in  Europe  of  the  equality 
of  the  United  States.  Now,  if  you  will  make  a 
moderate  allowance  for  the  effects  which  are  pro- 
duced by  the  division  of  property  on  the  death  of 
its  possessor,  or  the  facility  with  which  estates  are 
acquired,  and  to  the  fact  that  no  legal  orders  exist  in 
the  community,  you  may,  with  a  certain  qualification 
take  the  general  rules  which  govern  the  associations 
and  habits  of  all  other  countries,  as  applicable  to  this. 
In  order,  however,  to  measure  accurately  the  degree 
of  influence  the  circumstances  just  named  produce, 
probably  requires  a  greater  knowledge  of  America 
than  I  possess.  Though  it  is  quite  apparent  that 
those  conventional  castes  which  divide  the  whole 
civiiized  world  into  classes,  are  to  be  found  here,  just 
as  they  are  in  Europe,  they  appear  to  be  separated 


REASONS    WHY    IT    SHOULD    NOT. 


81 


by  less  impassable  barriers.  The  features  of  society 
are  substantially  the  same,  though  less  strongly  mark- 
ed.  You  as  an  Englishman,  can  find  no  difficulty  in 
understanding,  that  the  opinions  and  habits  of  all  the 
different  divisions  in  life  may  prevail  without  patents 
of  nobihty.  They  are  the  unavoidable  consequence 
of  differences  m  fortune,  education  and  manners.  In 
no  particular,  that  I  can  discover,  does  the  situation 
ol  ail  Amencan  gentleman  differ  from  that  of  an 
Snf  gentleman,  except  that  the  former  must  be 
content  to  enjoy  his  advantages  as  a  concession  of  the 

KK^'r.r";  ^^.  ""^^  ^'  ^  "g*^*-  I  ^a»  readily  be- 
heye  that  the  American,  whatever  might  be  his  name, 
V^rtune,  or  even  personal  endowments,  who  should 
arrogate  that  manner  of  superiority  over  his  less  for- 
tunate  countrymen  that  the  aristocracy  of  your  coun- 
try  so  often  assume  to  their  inferiors,  would  be  in 
great  danger  of  humiliation ;  but  I  cannot  see  that  he 
is  in  any  sense  the  less  of  a  gentleman  for  the  re- 
s^mt.   I  tnmk  I  have  already  discovered  the  source 

soctr^slT^''  K 'T  ''''  ^^^  ^"^>^^  ^^  ^"^^rican 
society    Short  as  has  been  my  residence  in  the  coun- 

frfd  in.    !  ""^^  "^'^^  "'^"^  individuals  of  manners 
and  characters  so  very  equivocal,  as  scarcely  to  know 

Thrif  VT^"^^^"^^  ""'^^^  «^^y  «»gl»t  to  be  placed, 
i  ^?«^*>een  so  singular  a  compound  of  intelli- 
gence, kmdness  natural  politeness,  coarseness,  and 
even  vulgarity  in  many  of  these  persons,  that  I  am 
often  utterly  baffled  in  the  attempt  to  give  them^ 
place  in  the  social  scale.  One  is  ashamid  to  admit 
that  men  who  at  every  instant  are  asserting  their  su- 
penontym  intellect  and  information,  can  belong  to 
an  infenor  condition ;  and  yet  one  is  equally  reluc- 
t:m  to  allow  a  claim  to  perfect  equality?on  ti  part 
of  those  who  are  constantly  violating  the  rules  of 
conventional  courtesv.  Th«/fh^  f^.^?^f „  _  ,?' 

■^A  .  .   .  •/  " "    •--iiiJO  V71   even    VUillP. 

particulars  from  our  own,  is  quite  evident,  but  it  is 


V. 


■I     .ll 


HI 


82        GOVERNMENT  AND  SOCIETV  UNCONNECTED. 

far  less  apparent  that  Europe  enjoys  any  very  de- 
cded  advantage  on  this  account  ff  I  should  venture 
to  give  an  opinion,  thus  early,  on  a  question  that  iu 
Its  nature  is  so  very  delicate,  I  should  say,  that  we 
!iX  V  ^""w'u^'  H  Arnencans  a  place  in  their  own 

Z!l^'  '^5?''^' '"  ^^""^^^^y  ^^'^'^^^  ^^^'^^  "merely  be- 
cause  we  discover  in  them  certain  qualifications  that 

mLK7°"?if'*''^'' *?  ^''"^P^'  ^^^  a'-e  not  actually 
membere  of  her  social  elite.  But  this  is  anticipating 
a  subject  on  x.h,ch  I  may  be  much  better  prepared 
to  write  a  twelvemonth  hence.  ^  ^ 

ver;^  little  connexion  with  rank  in  ordinary  society. 
This  assertion,  however,  is  liable  to  some  little  excep- 
tion. There  are  certain  political  stations  of  so  much 
dignity,  as  lu  a  great  measure  to  entail  on  their  dos- 
sessors,  and  even  on  their  families,  the  indefinable 
privileges  of  caste  here  as  elsewhere,  though  from 
what  1  can  learn  this  is  far  from  being  invariably  the 

UnS.dl^^''  "^^l-V*^^  ""^'^  ^^  President  oU: 
United  states,  or  of  Governor  of  a  State,  will,  in  their 

very  nature,  open  the  doors  of  most  houses  to  their 
incumbents,  a  man  may  be  a  member  of  Congress,  or 
even  a  Senator,  and  continue  to  fill  his  original  stat  on 
m  ordinary  life.     This,  also,  you,  as  an  Englishman^ 
ought  to  understand,  nor  will  it  be  much  longer  un' 
intelligible   m  all  those  other  countries  of  Europe 
where  representative  governments  are  opening  the 
avenues  of  political  power  to  all  men.     Indeed,  in 
trance,  even  under  the  old  regime,  government  and 
society  were  perfectly  distinct.   Now,  just  as  America 
IS  more  democratic  in  her  institution.;,  just  so  much 
the  more  is  this  blending  of  conditions  discernible  in 
her  distribution  of  political  favours.     Your  country- 
men are  very  apt  to  make  themselves  merry  with  the 
colonels  and  majors  thiit  are  inn-keepers  in  America: 
Dttt  really  it  annp»rs  in  n^o  fKof  fu^^^ i-   i       ' 

much  the  best  right  to  laugh  in  the  matter,  siV-^  ti^^r 


AMlniCAN  COLOWEIS  AND  CITV  WAM.OHS.       83 

can  find  individuals  fit  to  fill  «i.,.i.  .i  tz 

tion  of  life  that   i„  V-L  •  «'*t'°"'.  •»  a  condi- 

qualified  to  do  Me  or  noT"'  '%°<='="Pie<'  by  men 

L  duties  of  the,>U„aT'3linr  tt  """if^ 
had  your  train-b'.nr1«    \t2u  ,?.  "."S-     But  you  have 

fishmonger  X^'';,  ^S,  ^r-'tfar  aZ^ °°''  ""1 

phalanxi^l^otonTPC  ^,^t:r  ^ 

ins  that  h;  ha,  a.  oft^nt  „^K:k'asr 2"^ 

abound  in  this  county  '  ""^  ""y°"  ^°  """ch 

tim^te' a'lhtt'tf  ^-'"^'■usetts  the  last 

militkry  Bonifaces     Hp  »     ^'""-   'j'^  °°«  °'"  ^^se 

man  cLwXder  had  descTlK't- '"?'  '<"*  "^ 
unassuming  in  fact,  but  uSf„l  ^  "'^'  "'<'«P«''dent, 

you  hiro;iVat^.r  ..T?.?.''.'."-''   wouIdVe 


84 


'^ 


y    ■  -I 


THE  UTILITY  or  STATfDING  ARMIES. 


I  passed  a  half  hour  conversing  with  the  old  man 
who  had  seen  a  good  deal  of  service  during  the  wars 
of  56  and  '76.     We  spoke  of  the  different  military 
systems  pursued  b^  England  and  America,  and  he 
not  only  seemed  willing  to  do  justice  to  the  troops  of 
the  former,  but  he  readily  admitted  that  men  who 
did  nothing  but  *  train,'  as  he  termed  it,  ought  to  be 
better  soldiers  than  militia  who  entered  the  ranks 
but  once  or  twice  a  year.     Encouraged  by  this  con- 
cession, I  ventured  to  suggest  it  was  possible  that  his 
nation  was  wrong  in  her  policy,  and  that  she  might 
do  better  to  imitate  the  example  of  other  countries  in 
her  military  policy  at  least.     His  answer  was  cer- 
tainly characteristic,  and  I  thought  it   not  without 
some  practical  point.   "  Each  people  to  their  wants,' 
he  said.   « In  Europe  you  keep  large  standing  armies 
because  you  can't  hold  together  without  them,  and  I 
conclude  you  pay  for  it.     America  has  managed  so 
lar  to  do  her  own  fighting,  nor  do  I  see  that  she  has 
much  need  of  doing  that  of  any  other  people.     As  to 
the  q  lahty  of  the  troops,  we  often  handled  the  French 
roughly ;  we  drove  the  English  out  of  the  Bay  State 
m  76,  and  we  have  contrived  to  keep  them  out  ever 
since :  so  far  as  I  can  see,  that  is  all  we  want  of  a 
soldier,  whether  he  be  dressed  in  scariet,  or  a  coat 
of  brown  homespun.     As  to  keeping  order  at  home 
^^ i^f,"  ^iP  ^^  ^^^^  without  using  our  muskets,  thank 
God.       Now,  whether  a  nation  that  has  managed  to 
keep  foreign  invaders  from  her  shores,  and  to  preserve 
the  most  perfect  order  within  her  borders,  without 
the  agency  of  any  better  colonels,  than  such  as  some- 
times act  as  inn-keepers,  is  entitled  to  the  respect,  or 
to  the  derision  of  the  rest  of  the  world,  is  a  question 
1  leave  to  your  philosophy.     At  all  events,  communi- 
ties which  husband  their  resources,  enjoy  the  com- 
fortable assurance  of  having  them  at  command,  when 
tiien  possession  may  become  a  matter  of  the  last  im- 
portance. 


THE   DWELLIWO   Or   MB.  JAT.  85 

But  all  this  is  leading  me  from  the  subject  Al- 
though  a  description  of  the  establishment  of  Mr.  Jay 
thri.  "<"."'"'«*<'.  yo"  into  an  impression  that  aft 

try,  hye  m  a  similar  manner,  it  is  certainly  more  true 
as  to  those  who  have  arrived  to  the  high  dignities  he 
once  possessed     In  point  of  size  and  con^n  ence 
the  dwel  ing  of  tWs  distinguished  American  is  abott 
on  a  level  with  a  third-rate  English  country  house  or 
a  second-rate  French  chateau^    It  has  most  of\e 
nTtt  f  *^.  ^''""'"■'  "•*  '»"«  '"^"ries  that  ar^ 
quently  both  inferior  and  superior  to  the  latter   in 
very  many  particulars.     There  is  a  mixture  of  u  e 
and  appearance  in  the  disposition  of  the  grounds, 
that  1  am  inclined  to  think  very  common  about  the 
residences  of  gentlemen  of  this  country.     The  fa™ 
buildings,  &c    though  a  httle  removed,  were  in  S 
view,  as  ,f  their  proprietor,  while  he  was  wilLg    o 

hZfiT  "  "?*=°r«".i«n«e'  of  a  closer  proximity, 
found  a  pleasure  m  keeping  them  at  all  times  unde^ 
h.s  immediate  eye.  The  house  itself  was  partlv  of 
fen?  Partly  of  wood,  it  having  been  built  at 
different  penods ;  but,  as  is  usual  herl,  with  most  of 
the  better  sort  of  dwellings,  it  was  painted  and 
S  "  '""'■"■^"We  and  spacious  piaL  l^'us 
/acade,  another  common  practice  in  this  climate,  it 
IS  not  without  some  pretension  externally;  still  its 
exterior,  as  well  as  its  internal  character,  is  that  of 

snow.     The  intenoT  arrangements   of  this    no  Ip«» 

t?fAl"°''r  "^  *."  ''°"'«^  '  ^^'^  entered  here,  are 
decidedly  of  an  Enghsh  character.     The  furniure 

^  'T"°"'y  "f,  ""^hogany,  and  carpets  almost  uni- 

"a^^flJlZ'^LT:^"^^^  ^^  }^'"t«'-.  There  is  a 
o- —  „..  ,,.  auuiiuiuice  in  me  nouses  of  the  Ameri- 
cans generally,  and  in  those  of  the  wealthy,  it  is  mln- 
gledjith  something  that  we  are  apt  to  coAsiderTux- 


86 


ARMOIlIAl   BEARINGS,  IIVEBIES,  ETC. 


-i-      ', 


urious.  I  might  have  counted  ten  or  twelve  domestic, 
about  the  establishment  of  Mr.  Jay,  all  quiet  oTderiv 
and  respectful.  They  were  bot/'whitT  and  black' 
You  probably  know  that  the  latter  are  all  free  here 

&  Th"^  ^'"^  "'■""""y  "■'""'hed  in  N^wl 
lorK.       ihe  servants  wore  no  liveries,  nor  did  I 

T^r  *"«  '"'*  "•"'  °^  '^  "'y  of  New-Vork 
rhough  sometimes  given,  even  there,  they  are  fai 

from  frequent.     They  are  always  exc;edingl,  plain 

rarely  amounting  to  more  than  a  round  h"  with  a 

«>ld  or  a  silver  band,  and  a  coat,  with  cuffs  and  coK 

lars  faced  with  a  different  cloth.     Armorial  bearing 

on  carnages  are  much  more  frequent,  though  Caf 

wallader  tells  me  it  is  getting  to  I  more  geWlt 

do  without  even  them.    He  says  the  most  ancient 

and  honourable  families,  those  Jhose  descent  ."uni 

versaUy  known,  are  the  first  to  neglect  their  use.     I 

tit,  '""ll^^'  °'  ^',-  Joy.  but  their  pannels  were 
wifliout  any  blazonry.   I  remarked,  however,  ancient 

^^lnhn'''"^'r  **'  ^°'^  those  European  mark 
of  an  honourable  name,  and  which  I  did  not  hesitate 
to  refer  to  the  period  of  the  colonial  governmenV 
Mr.  Jav  hmiself  is  of  French  descent,  Eis  ancestor 
having  been  a  refugee  from  the  religious  peicution 
that  succeeded  the  revocation  of  thi  edict  of  Nante  " 
rtZ  "^"''ny  femilies  of  similar  descent  in  the 

11  f^u''  ""**  """"S  *^'"  ^'e  some  of  the  first 
names  of  the  country.  I  passed  a  little  town  in  the 
county  of  West-Chester,  that  was  said  to  have  been 
originally  settled  by  emigrants  from  the  persecuted 

^hJn  ^'^^^"l--  I*  ''«*"  *«  "™«  »f  New  Ro- 
chelle,  and  to  this  hour,  though  much   blended  bv 

•ntermamages  with  those  of  English  origin,  the  peo- 
ple retain  something  of  the  peculiar  look  of  their 
t  rench  ancestry.    I  saw  on  the  signs,  the  names  of 


*  It  finally  eipirsd  by  law,  July  4th,  182T. 


THE  HUGUENOTS.  ^j 

state  and  n^JyVofX  d1  fc  ^^Tf Te  J?  ""' 

Npw  R  J^k  n  , ,     -^  *^"^^''  encountered,  near 

needed  breath  to  n-ou^atTor  th^etoX^dS 
01  Fhaeton  chose  to  assume  it  «  Wh^  ^ .  "^  "'^cipje 
the  St  „f   hose  dead":;  WtrX^C  X 

ard  ?     demanded  the  coachman,  who  verV  soon  h. 

their  roots.    Without  Ku'hl'Z  rth  efelf^^Ll 

slToft '"  *'  ^P">  '  ^''°"W  be  as  baSlJVound 
as  one  oi  my  oxen  without  salt "     "  Now  thit  •    i- 

his  French  blood,"  said  my  driver  to  Pnt  km'" 
mount  ng  the  hill-"  for  J^'^    4.  i  "'^'  ^^ile 

who  wilf  un  the  risk  oTh^  ' '  '?""'  1  ."""■  «  ("^^ 
tickle  his  palate  with  a  mLhrolm''"'Tr"^  'V^''^'-  f? 
that  these  little  peculiaSofXir  ancient  p"  '°V^ 


M    ;- 

i 


88 


vi) 


SIMPLE  AND  DIGNIFIED  HABITS  or  MR.  JAY. 


SI 


I  scarcely  remember  to  have  mingled  with  ari^ 
family,  where  there  was  a  more  happy  union  of  quiet 
rn^^fTr  M  *"t^  *^'g^,co»rtesy,  than  I  met  beneath  the 
roof  of  Mr.  Jay.  The  venerable  statesman  himself  is 
distinguished,  as  much  now,  for  his  dignified  simplic- 
ity  as  he  was,  fomierly,  for  his  political  sagacity, 
integrity,  and  firmness.     By  one  class  of  his  country- 

I^!L^?  'T"^^'  T^^^""^  ^i*l»«»t  the  profoundest 
respect.  It  is  evident  that  there  are  some  who  have 
.  been  accustomed  to  oppose  him,  though  it  is  not  diffi- 
cult  to  see  that  they  begin  to  wonde?  why.  During 
my  short  stay  beneath  this  hospitable  roof,  several  of 
the  yeomanry  came  to  make  visits  of  respect,  or  of 
business,  to  their  distinguished  neighbour.  Their  re- 
ception  was  frank  and  cordial,  each  man  receiving 
the  hand  of  the  «  Governor,"  as  he  is  called,  thouijh 
It  was  quite  evident  that  all  approached  him  with  the 
reverence  a  great  man  only  can  inspire.  For  mv 
own  part,  I  confess,  I  thought  it  a  beautiful  sight  to 

wLT7-\*'^^  T^^  ^"  *^^^  ^^""^'^«  of  nations, 
who  had  instructed  a  foreign  minister  in  his  own 

policy,  and  who  had  borne  himself  with  high  honour 
and  lasting  credit  in  the  courts  of  mighty  sovereigns, 
soothing  the  evening  of  his  days  by  thei  little  fctJ 
of  bland  courtesy,  which,  while  they  elevated  others 
m  no  respect  subtracted  from  his  own  glory.  His  age 
and  infirmities  prevented  as  much  intercourse  as  I 
could  have  wished  with  such  a  man,  but  the  little  he 
did  communicate  on  the  scenes  in  which  he  had  been 
an  actor,  was  uttered  with  so  much  clearness,  sim- 
plicity,  modesty,  and  discretion,  that  one  was  left  to 
regret  that  he  could  not  hear  more. 

There  is  a  very  general  opinion' in  America,  that 
Mr.  Jay  has  been  much  occupied,  in  later  life,  in 
wntmg  on  the  prophecies.  Of  course  this  is  a  sub- 
ject on  which  I  know  nothing,  but  something  occurred 
Hi  the  course  of  conversation  whirh  cfro"-'"  i^^u^^. 
me  to  hazard  a  conjecture  that  they  are  not  true.   We 


[R.  JAY, 

d  witli  ari} 
lion  of  quiet 
beneath  the 
in  hinnself  is 
Sed  simphc- 
al  sagacity, 
Ws  country- 
profoundest 
e  who  have 

is  not  dirti- 
y.  During 
',  several  of 
pect,  or  of 
Their  re- 
n  receiving 
led,  though 
im  with  the 
.  For  my 
ill  sight  to 
of  nations, 
n  his  own 
igh  honour 
sovereigns, 

little  acts 
ted  others, 
y.  His  age 
ourse  as  I 
^e  little  he 
J  had  been 
pness,  sim- 
vas  left  to 


jrica,  that 
er  life,  in 
5  is  a  sub- 
5  occurred 

true.    We 


NOTtON,  or  THE  E«rLOVMEN-T  OF  MB.  MV.        89 

were  speaking  of  some  recent  English  works  on  Ap 

curious,  but  incompetent  observers  of  h^^hS'  I  ^ 
mistaken  his  motivl  attrib,^ing  Zt  o  a  love^^Ar 

enough  instance  of  the  Cir  es  of  the  hi?  '''"7 
Uvee    Mr  ja^  and  ht  S  ItST'^-ti  f 

7iy  of  ire'^cre*^--  "-"^  "^  *«  "--'- 

^t^  t— hab^^^^r^^^^^ 

hemselves,  as  to  the  rest  of  mankind.  HiTexpect 
>at,on8  were  raised  of  the  effects  wh! "  educ»f1o^ 
m.^it  produce  on  the  capacity  of  this  L ,-  He  w' "♦ 
to  England;  exhibited;  calcuited ;  as  oili^hedlverv 

buck  with  him  the  ■[ite~4,^„J'^}.  ^f^^^f' 

t^nrattasT-rii^''  ^"'  T^A'^^^tni 
once  at  least,     he  has  missed  a  figure."— Adieu 

I  2 


(     90     ) 


TO  SIR  EDWARD  WALLER,  BART. 
ice.  tec. 


i 


^„ 


I 


It'  '' 

H 


New- York, 

The  six  North-Eastem  States  of  this  great  union 
compose  what  is  called  New-England.*  The  appel- 
lation is  one  of  convention,  and  is  unknown  to  the  laws. 
It  is  a  name  given  by  a  King  of  England,  who  ap- 
peared willing  to  conciliate  that  portion  of  his  sub- 
jects, who  had  deserted  their  homes  in  quest  of  liberty 
of  conscience,  by  a  high-sounding  title.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  colonies  of  the  Dutch  and  Swedes, 
at  that  time,  separated  the  northern  possessions  of  the 
English  from  those  they  held  in  Virginia.  It  is  most 
probably  owing  to  the  latter  circumstance  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  New-England  provinces  so  long 
retained  their  distinctive  character,  which  was  scarce- 
ly less  at  variance  with  that  of  the  slave-holding  plant- 
ers of  the  south,  than  with  that  of  their  more  imme- 
■  diate  neighbours,  the  Dutch.  The  pacific  colonists 
of  Penn  brought  with  them  but  little  to  soften  the 
lines  of  distinction,  and  after  New- York  became  sub- 

iect  to  the  Crown  of  Britain,  it  was  a  melange  of 
)utch  quietude  and  English  aristocracy.  It  was  not 
until  the  Revolution  had  broken  down  the  barriers  of 
provincial  prejudices,  and  cleared  the  way  for  the 
unrestrained  exercise  of  the  true  national  enterprise, 
that  these  territorial  obstacles  were  entirely  removed, 
and  a  thorough  amalgamation  of  the  people  com- 
menced. A  few  observations  on  the  effect  of  this 
amalgamation,  and  the  influence  it  has  had  on  the  char- 


*  Maine,  Massachusetts,  New-Hampshire,  Vermont,  Rhode 
Island,  and  Connecticut. 


THE    JliOlLE    OF    ^EVV-E^OLAXD. 


n 


r  r  i  1  'J"""  ''^;'  "^"^^^  ''"^e*-  the  inspection 
of  Cadwallader,  confirmed,  if  not  impmved/by  my 
own  observation.  -^     ^ 

The  people  of  New-England  are,  even  to  this  hour, 
distinguished  among  their  own  active  and  quick-witted 
countrymen,  for  their  enterprise,  frugality,  order,  and 
mtel  igence  The  thi^e  latter  qllalitL,  t^aken  K 
junction  I  believe  they  have  a  right  to  claim  to  a  de- 
gree  that  is  elsewhere  unequalled.  The  Scot  and  the 
fevyiss,  the  Dane  and  the  Swede,  the  German,  the 

frtTLTi^''"'''  ^^  Frenchman,  may  be  often  as 
frugal,  but  there  is  always  something  of  compulsion 
•n  European  frugality.  The  inhabitant  of  NewX" 
land  seems  thrifty  on  principle;  since  he  neglects  no 
duty,  forgets  no  decency,  nor  overlooks  any  of  the 
higher  obligations  in  order  to  save  his  money.  He  is 
eminently  economical  and  provident  in  tiie  midst  of 
abundance.  A  sentiment  of  deep  niorality  seems  to 
influence  his  savings,  which  he  hoards,  in  order  that 

ve.l7'h  "  iJ  u   ^^  ^"'^*^  '^•"^  ^^  serviceable,  as 
rrl  Ki-^"*"*  h  '"  '^'"""S  his  own  private  re- 
spectabihty,  and  m  advancing  the  interests  of  the 
whole.     No   doubt,   in   a  great  community,  where 
economy  is  rigidly  practised  as  a  virtue,  some  mistake 
Its  object  and  pervert  a  quality,  whieh  is  so  eminently 
adapted  to  advance  the  general  good,  to  the  purposes 
of  individual  rapacity.     But  it  is  impossible  to  jour- 
r^y  dirough   New-England,  and  witness  its  air  of 
abundance  its  decency,  the  absence  of  want,  the  ele- 
vation of  character,  which  is  imparted  to  the  meanest 
ol  Its  people,  without  respecting  the  sources  whence 
they  flow.     A  prudent  and  discreet  economy  is,  in 
Itself,  an  evidence  of  a  reiTecting  and  instructed  being, 
as  order  is  the  necessary  attendant  of  abundance  and 
thought.   You  may  form  some  estimate  of  the  degree 
"I  m.^«iQcnoc  vviiicn  J5  dinuseu  throughout  the  com- 
munity in  New-England,  by  the  facts  contained  in  a 


>     1 


3lj        f 


'I  t  \}'i\ 


i  I 


■-I  ..,1:1 
111 


92 


SCHOOLS    IK    NEW-ENGLAND. 


report  I  lately  read  concerning  the  progress  of  gen- 
eral instruction  in  Massachusetts.     That  State  con- 
tains nearly  600,000  souls,  all  of  whom  (of  proper 
age,)  with  the  exception  of  about  400,  could  read  and 
wnte.     It  is  probable  that  the  latter  number  was 
composed  chiefly  of  foreigners,  blacks  from  other 
States,  and  those  who  laboured  under  natural  disa- 
bilities.    But  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  are  far 
from  being  the  limits  of  the  ordinary  instruction  of 
the  lower  American  schools.     A  vast  deal  of  useful 
and  creditable  knowledge,  moral  and  useful,  is  also 
obtained  in  learning  to  read.     I  have  known  Cad- 
wallader  to  say  repeatedly,  that  in  referring  to  fa- 
miliar history  and  geography,  he  invariably  passes  by 
all  his  later  acquisitions  in  the  academies  and  uni- 
versity, to  draw  upon  the  stores  he  obtained  during 
his  infancy  in  one  of  the  common  schools  of  the  coun- 
try.    Perhaps,  in  this  particular,  he  differs  but  little 
Irom  most  educated  men  every  where ;  but  it  is  an 
important  fact  to  remember  that  the  children  of  his 
father's  tradesmen,  and  indeed  of  every  other  man  in 
the  place,  enjoyed  precisely  the  same  means  of  ob- 
tmning  this  species  of  information,  as  the  son  of  the 
affluent  landlord.     He  also  pointed  out  another  im- 
portant fact,  as  distinguishing  the  quality  of  the  know- 
ledge acquired  in  the  schools  of  America  from  that 
which  ^  obtained  in  a  similar  manner,  in  most,  if  not 
all,  of  Europe.     There  is  no  lethai^y  of  ideas  in  this 
country     What  is  known  to  one  (under  the  usual 
limits  of  learning)  soon  becomes  the  property  of  all 
1  his  IS  strictly  true,  as  respects  all  the  minor  acqui- 
sitions of  the  school.    It  is  also  true  as  respects  every 
sudden  and  important  political  event,  in  any  quarter 
of  the  world,     fhe  former  species  of  infoirnation  is 
obtained  through  new  and  improved  editions  of  their 
geographies,  histories,  and  grammars,  and  the  latter 

bv  \"':-  p"Vv,::.iui  ugKiicj^  oi  ine  pubhc  press.     A 

new  division  of  the  German  empire,  for  instance, 


SCHOOLS— QUALITY    OF    INSTRUCTION.  93 

would  be  Change  enough  to  circulate  a  new  L-eographv 
through  all  the  schools  of  America.  ImprovldSms 
of  arithmetic  are  as  numerous  as  tJ\ZyiCZ 

l^ents  o7  'Cr  »"r  "<=''>■  of  »n"al»  to  record  the 
events  of  the  day.     My  compan  on  pointed  out  the 

difference  between  his  own  countiy  and  France  for 
instance,  in  this  particular.     He  has  three  or  four 

SuvT  r' H"'^/^''='""''  '"  'he  latter  c^untr" 
curiosity  had  induced  him  to  brine  away  several  of 

the  class-books  that  had  been  put  iftHh^ir  hands  ?n 
r^T'^e  hUt'^'*^Tp"''''=''Verns  t^l'mat^^^ 
Mere.  In  the  history  of  France  itse  f,  the  F  olution 
■s  scarcely  mentioned!  The  reign  of  Napoleon °" 
passed  over  m  silence,  and  the  events  ofTs  4  "nd 

J^fZ""^"^'^  '?  ^"  °''''^'''"'  '^•'*<^''  ^"^  not  con- 
ceal the  siege  of  Troy.     One  can  understand  the 

Sll „°f  A''  /°"¥"'  •"'"•=y'  •''■'  Cadwallader 
,P"'^'!  f  ^^^''' '"  i^  geographies,  which  can  only 
be  accounted  for  on  the  grounds  of  utter  indifference 
One  example  shall  suffice  for  numberless  simfirin-' 
tances  of  gross  and  culpable  neglect,  since  it  could 
not  be  Ignorance,  in  a  country  where  the  science  of 
geography  IS  certainly  as  well  undei^tood  a  *  n  any 
other  part  of  the  earth.  With  an  excusab  e  sensi^ 
.veness,  he  shovved  me,  in  a  recent  edition  of  an  au^ 
honzed  geography,  the  account  of  his  own  confede- 

tlmrb  /  ",  '""*  ***  ""^  '=0'nposed  of  eighlem  States, 
though  t^enn/-one  are  actually  namedf  and  twenty. 
Jour,  ,n  truth,  existed  !  Even  the  palpable  contrad  ?- 
ion  seems  to  have  escaped  the  proof-readeToTlhe 
work.  Now  this  book,  excessively  meagre  in  itself 
IS  put  into  the  hands  of  the  future  inolheS  of  France 
itieir  own  kingdom  is  certainly  dealt  with  a  little 
more  liberally;  but,  though  it  isVrhaps  the  hi^ 
clJort  of  human  knowledge,  to  know  one's  self  in 

order  to  a  richt  understanding  -./•  „.. I    u  ^": '" 

It  IS  absolutely  necessary  to  have  a  pretty  intimate 
acquaintance  with  those     "     '  "      '"""^^^^ 


other  people.     I  speak 


94 


RELUCTAN'CE  OF  EUnOPE! 


'.'-. 
k 


understandmgly,  when  f  tell  you,  that  the  geographies 
and  modern  histories  which  are  read  by  the  com- 
monest American  children,  are  vastly  more  minute 
and  accurate  than  those  read  in  most  of  the  fashion- 
able pensions  of  Paris. 

_    The  effect  of  this  diflfusion  of  common  instruction 
IS  pre-eminently  apparent  throughout  New-England 
m  the  self-respect,  decency,  order,  and  individuality 
of  Its  inhabitants.     I  say  individuality,  because,  by 
giving  Ideas  to  a  man,  you  impart  the  principles  of  a 
new  existence,  which  supply  additional  motives  of 
concern  to  his  respectability  and  well-being.     You 
are  not  to  suppose  that  men  become  selfish  by  arriv- 
ing nearer  to  a  right  understanding  of  their  own  na- 
tures and  true  interests,  since  all  experience  proves 
that  we  become  humane  and  charitable  precisely  as 
we  become  conscious  of  our  own  defects,  and  obtain 
a  knowledge  of  the  means  necessary  to  repair  them 
A  remarkable  example  of  this  truth  is  to  be  found  in 
New-England  itself.    Beyond  a  doubt,  nowhere  is  to 
be  found  a  population  so  well  instructed,  in  element- 
ary knowledge,  as  the  people  of  these-six  States.    It 
18  equally  true,  that  I  have  nowhere  witnessed  such  an 
universality  of  that  self-respect  which  preserves  men 
from  moral  degradation.     I  very  well  know  that  in 
Europe,   while   we  lend  a  faint  attention  to  these 
statements  concerning  American  order  and  prosper- 
ity, we  are  fond  of  seeking  causes  which  shall  refer 
their  origin  to   circumstances  peculiar  to  her  geo- 
graphical situation,  and  which  soothe  our  self-love 
by  enabling  us  to  predict  their  downfall,  when  the' 
existence  of  European   pressure  shall   reduce   the 
American   to  the  level  of  our  own  necessities.     I 
confess,  I  entered  the  countiy  with  very  similar  im- 
pressions  myself;  but  nearer  observation   has   dis- 
turbed a  theory  which  is  generally  adopted,  because 
it  is  uotij  consolatory  and  simple.    We  are  apt  to  say 
that  the  ability  of  the  Americans  to  maintain  order  at 


TO  BELIEVE  IX  AMERICAN  ORDER.  95 

of  art  that  attains  to  mediocrity.-among  whom  mo^ 

ine  8fes  on  the  ieau  srfea/  of  form  and  pioportions  — 
to  be  an  adept  in  the  polished  d.ccpti^ns  Kn^S^ 

weep  when  others  weep,— to  patronize  and  to  c^urt 
-to  cringe  and  to  domineer,  in  short,  to  i^acHhe' 
ntj.u,  u/lra  of  eastern  refinement,  and  still  to  havl 
astrong  flavour  of  barbarity  about  one  after  all  Ther^ 
drili,  r  *™«.'?"""'°'ty'  ^Wch  is  the  essence  of  a^  > 

a  h    ^dbw"  ThT  'T'^ '"  "■«"  ''"•^  consider  man 
as  ms  fellow.  That  society  can  never  exist,  or.  at  least 

that  ,   could  never  advance,  under  a  too  fastidioudv 

nc|  interpretation  of  this  duty,  needs  no  proof,  S 

a)  incentive  to  exertion  would  be  deadened  in  aco^ 

dition  where  each  member  of  the  community  had  a^ 

equal  nght  to  participate  in  the  general  abundancT 

The  great  desideratum  of  the  social  compact  would 

then  seem  to  be,  to  produce  such  a  state  o(  thiZa^ 

'^Ktft^^T''  ''"^'"'*"=''  ^»'«^P"«  intoS^ 

interes  s  of  the  whole  ;Jto  a'vail  of  the  talents  of  he 
gifted  kw,  while  the  long  train  of  humbler  beingg 


96 


HABiIS  AND  MANNERS  OP  NEW-ENGLAND. 


¥■(■' 


'B 


I 


j« 


!      •^l 


shall  have  scope  and  leisure  also  f<  the  privileges  of 
their  mortality :  in  short,  to  profit  by  the  suggestions 
of  policy,  v^rithout  forgetting  the  eternal  obligations 
of  humanity.  If  a  union  of  the  utmost  scope  to  indi- 
vidual enterprise  with  the  most  sacred  regard  to  the 
rights  and  feelings  of  the  less  fortunate  of  our  species, 
be  any  evidence  of  an  approximation  to  this  desired 
condition  of  society,  I  think  the  inhabitant  of  New- 
England  has  a  better  right  to  claim  an  elevated  state 
of  being  than  any  other  people  I  have  ever  visited. 
The  activity  of  personal  efforts  is  every  where  visible 
on  the  face  of  the  land,  in  their  comforts,  abundance, 
improvements,  and  progressive  wealth,  while  the 
etfect  of  a  humanity  that  approaches  almost  to  refine- 
ment, was  felt  at  every  house  I  entered.  Let  me  not 
be  misunderstood :  I  can  readily  conceive  that  an 
H^uropean  gentleman,  who  had  not  been,  like  myself, 
put  on  his  guard,  would  have  found  numberless 
grounds  of  complaint,  because  he  was  not  treated  as 
belonging  to  a  superior  class  of  beings  by  those  with 
whom  he  was  compelled  to  hold  communication, 
bervihty  forms  no  part  of  the  civilization  of  New- 

•1  .'^lu*^?"^^  ?'^^"*^  ^«  'ts  essence.     I  can  say 
wiOi  truth^  that  after  traversing  the  country  for  ne^ 
a  thousand  miles  in  no  instance  did  I  hear  or  witness 
a  rude  act :  not  the  slightest  imposition  was  practised, 
or  attempted,  on  my  purse ;  all  my  inquiries  were 
heard  with  patience,  and  answered  with  extraordi- 
nary mtelhgence  :  not  a  farthing  was  asked  for  divers 
extra  services  that  were  performed  in  my  behalf-  but 
on  the  contrary,  money  offered  in  the  way  of  douceurl 
was  repeatedly  declined,  and  that  too  with  perfect 
modesty,  as  if  it  were  unusual  to  receive  rewards  for 
tnfles,     My  comforts  and  tastes,  too,  were  uniformly 
consulted ;  and,  although  I  often  travelled  in  a  portion 
of  the  country  that  was  but  little  frequented,  at  every 
mn  1  „.et  witn  neatness,  abundance,  and  a  manner  in 
which  a  desire  to  oblige  me    was  blended  with   a 


I'' 


DirrnsivE  rNTEi.tKiENcE.  97 

singular  respect  for  themselves.     Nor  was  this  rare 
combination^of  advantages  at  all  the  elTect  of  ti^t 
simplicity  which  is  the  attendant  of  a  half-civ  lired 
cond,t,on,  on  the  contrary,  I  found  a«  inteSce 
that  surprised  me  at  every  turn,  and  which  inSf 
gave  the  true  character  to  the  humanityof  whkh  I 
Z.l^Vv^'y\.    '  repeatedly  found  conies  of  ySur 
standard  English  authors,  in  retired  dwellings  where 
one  would  not  expect  to  meet  any  production  oH 
cast  higher  than  an  almanac,  or  a  horn-book  •  nor 
were  they  read  with  that  acquiescent  critidsm  whkl 
MmL    't'^"".*;^  *''*«'  """^  ^''''=''  """kes  a  joke  of 
w„m.r  ^'  ^^r  "J"''^  ofany  other  man/Vou^ 
1,«     i""*  "hom  my  situation,  no  less  than  2 
tastes,  oftenest  brought  liie  into  literary  dfacussionsi 
frequently  surprised  me  with  the  extent  of  the  r  ac 
qamtance  wub,  and  the  soundness  of  their  opinions 
concerning  the  merits  and  morality  of  Pope  and  a1 
dison,  of  Youngand  TiUotson,  and  Wen  of^Milton  a1^ 

certainly,  if  taken  without  a  saving  clause  for  the  other 

tfuTZ  '  M  ""Pf**  '  '""'^  "'**="  "^nown  professed 
siv^r»l  T  t''««'s«lves  with  less  credit  than  did 
TTi  TU^^'^  acquaintances  at  the  tea-tables 
of  different  New-England  inns.    I  can,  however 

this  very  portion  of  the  country,  and  remain  pro- 
foundly  Ignorant  of  all  these  thin^.  I„  order  to'^at 
quire  information,  one  must  possess  the  disposition  to 

and  l'  fl!r"^  *  out  Aese  traits  of  national  character, 
and  I  flatter  myself  that  by  the  aid  of  good  disposi- 
hons,and  a  certain  something  that  distinguishes  all 

oir'  ^Tu,"'^^  '"  ^^  P'^*^"'^^  of  the  soller  sex,  " 
commendable  progress,  in  reference  to  the  time  and 
^t.,,.rcuni,y,  was  always  made  in  their  kind  estima- 
hon  i  he  great  roads,  as  I  have  said,  and  as  vou 
we^l  know,  are  rarely  favourable  in  any  country  to  an 


I, 


98 


OMISSION  OF  TRAVELLERS, 


i 


cc 


accurate  acquaintance  with  the  character  of  its  in- 
habitants. One  may  arrive  at  a  general  knowledge 
of  the  standard  of  hopesty,  disinterestedness,  and  civi- 
lization of  a  people,  it  is  true,  by  mingling  with  them 
in  much  frequented  places,  for  these  qualities  are 
always  comparative;  but  he  who  would  form  an 
opinion  of  the  whole  by  such  specimens,  must  do  it 
under  the  correction  of  great  allowances.  I  believe 
the  New-Englandman,  however,  has  less  reason  than 
common  to  deprecate  a  general  decision  of  this  nature. 
A  good  deal  of  my  journey  was  unavoidably  on  a 
great  route,  and  though  I  found  some  inconveniences, 
and  rather  more  difficulty  in  penetrating  their  domes- 
tic reserve  there,  than  in  the  retired  valleys  of  the  in- 
terior, still  the  great  distinctive  features  of  the  popu- 
lation were  every  where  decidedly  the  same. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  nearly  all  of  the  English 
travellers  who  Have  written  of  America,  pass  lightly 
over  this  important  section  of  the  Union.     Neither 
do  they  seem  to  dwell  with  much  complacency  on 
those  adjoining  states,  where  the  habits  and  charac- 
teristics of  New  England  prevail  to  a  great  extent, 
through  the  emigrants  or  their  immediate  descend- 
ants.    I  am  taught  to  believe  that,  including  the  in- 
habitants of  the  six  original  States,  not  less  than  four 
millions  of  the  American  people  are  descended  from 
the  settlers  of  Plymouth,  and  their  successors.     This' 
number  is  about  four-tenths  of  the  white  population. 
K  ^."^  recalls  the  peculiar  energy  and  activity  which 
distinguish  these  people,  he  may  be  able  to  form  some 
idea  of  their  probable  influence  on  the  character  of 
the  whole  country.     The  distinctive  habits  of  the 
Dutch,  which  lingered  among  the  possessors  of  the 
adjoining  province  of  New- York  even  until  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  century,  have  nearly  dis- 
appeared before  the  tide  of  eastern  emigration  ;  and 
there  is  said  to  be  scarcely  a  State  in  the  whole  con- 


©MISSION    OF    MR.    HODGSON.  99 

federation  Which  has  not  imbibed  more  or  less  of  the 
impetus  of  Its  mexhaustible  activity 

Suspicion  might  easily  ascribe  an  unworthy  motive 
to  a  silence  that  is  so  very  uniform  on  the  part  of  il.^ 
lerested  observers.  Volumes  have  been  written  Ion- 
cerning  the  half-tenanted  districts  of  the  ^e^^VhUe 
the  mannera  and  condition  of  the  original  States,  Xre 
he  true  effects  of  the  American  system  can  aloneZ 
raced,  are  usually  disposed  of  in  a  few  hurried  pageT 

no  ices   but"m"„<?T,^^"  """^^  ''"P""'''  '"  'hei^ 
notices,  but  rnost  of  them  appear  to  have  sought  so 

eagerly  for  subject,  of  derisionfas  to  have  overlooked 

the  more  digmhed  materials  of  observation.     Even 

eadvrn*'- %^'\"°.^.^T'  "'«'  '«^""'"  «"  «n.e^ 
Z  Jlf  ■'.?.  J"  "•'=''  *°  *^  Americans,  has  contented 
h  mself  with  «ving  some  thirty  or  forty  pages  to  the 

fif t."!^^"'"^"''''^"''  disposes  of  all¥ew-Engla„d 
(If  the  extraneous  matter  be  deducted),  Pennsylvania 
New-Jersey,  and  Ohio,  in  about  the  same  sZe  S 

^n  A»rT"?'«  ""■P"'"^"  "'^-gh  *e  wild  region* 
on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Though  the  states  just  men- 
tioned  make  but  a  comparatively  indifferent  figure 
on  the  ™p,  they  contain  nearly,  if  not  quite,  half 

added  thff  Pf  ?»■«''«»  of  the  country.  l?to  this  be , 
added  the  fact,  that  in  extent  they  cover  a  surface 
about  equal  to  that  of  the  kingdom  of  France,  one 
may  be  permitted  to  express  some  surprise  that  they 
are  usually  treated  with  so  littl-;  deference.  An  Ame- 
rican would  be  very  much  inclined  to  ascribe  this 
uniform  neglect  to  an  illiberahty  which  found  no 
pleasure  in  any  description  but  caricature,  though  I 
thmk  few  of  them  would  judge  so  harshly  of  the 
author  whose  name  I  have  just  mentioned.  As  Cad- 
wallader  expressed  it,  even  the  mistakes  of  such  a 
man  are  entitled  tn  hp  troat^A  ..Mtu »     . 

more  chantabJe,  and  in  the  instance  of  Mr,  Hodgson, 


100 


IKKLrtXCK  OF  \EW-li\OLAND   CHARACTER. 


;.? 


1^^'     f'    ' 


1:'^. 
*' 


j-r  .1,1 


? 


I  am  fully  persuaded  a  more  just  explanation  would 
be  to  ascribe  tbis  apparent  partiality  to  the  woods, 
rather  to  a  love  of  novelty,  than  to  any  bare  thirst  of 
detraction.  There  is  little  to  appease  the  longings  of 
curiosity,  even  in  the  most  striking  characteristics  ot 
common  sense :  nor  does  a  picture  of  the  best  endow- 
ed and  most  rational  state  of  being,  present  half  the 
attractions  to  our  imaginations,  as  one  in  which  scenes 
of  civilization  are  a  little  coloured  by  the  fresher  and 
more  vivid  tints  of  a  border  life. 

Still  he  who  would  seek  the  great  moving  principles 
which  give  no  small  part  of  its  peculiar  tone  to  the 
American  character,  mupt  study  the  people  of  New- 
England  deeply.     It  is  there  that  he  will  find  the 
germ  of  that  tree  of  intelligence  which  has  shot  forth 
so  luxuriantly,  and  is  already  shading  the  land  with 
its  branches,  bringing  forth  most  excellent  fruits.    It 
is  there  that  religion,  and  order,  and  frugality,  and 
even  liberty,  have  taken  deepest  root :  and  no  liberal 
American,  however  he  may  cherish  some  of  the  pe- 
culiarities of  his  own  particular  State,  will  deny  them 
the  meed  of  these  high  and  honourable  distinctions. 
it  may  be  premature  in  one  who  has  kept  aloof  from 
their  large  towns,  to  pronounce  on  the  polish  of  a 
.  people  whom  he  has  only  seen  in  the  retirement  and 
sinriplicity  of  the   provinces.     Their  more  southern 
neighbours  say  they  are  wanting  in  some  of  the  nicer 
tact  of  polite  intercourse,  and  that  however  they  may 
shine  in  the  more  homely  and  domestic  virtues,  they 
litre  somewhat  deficient  in  those  of  manner.     I  think 
nothing,  taken  with  a  certain  limitation,  to  be  more 
probable. 

I  saw  every  where  the  strongest  evidences  of  a 
greater  equality  of  condition  than  I  remember  ever 
before  to  have  witnessed.  Where  this  equality  exists, 
it  has  an  obvious  tendency  to  bring  the  extremes  of 
the  community  together.  What  fhe  peasant  gains, 
the  gentleman  must  in  some  measure  lose.    The 


EQUALITY  OF  rONDTTlON  AXD  ITS  Ef^ECTS.      lOl 

your  own  aristocrtic'Lran^th'^^Ttlfou.l^ZV^ 

^c'riv.    """"  ?<;"•«  g^»^e«-   Institutions  whTch 
cult  to^„    ^?^     ...P"'""''*   refinement.     It   £  diffl- 

justice  to  the  restrained  and  little  enticine  manZ™ 
of  his  puritan  ancesto,^.    Climate   hSf  If  S 

nave  aiaed  to  perpetuate  a  ngid  aspect.  But  after  all 
this  defect  in  manner  must,  as  I  hare  dreadv  satd 
be  taken  under  great  limitation.  Considered  in  ref 
erence  to  every  class  below  those  in  wWch    fr^m 

cTm?rt.rVi"'='"''"'  ■"«-  refinement  and 
tact  might  ceitamly  be  expected,  it  does  not  exist 

iigent  than  their  counterparts  in  the  most  favoured 

Po"rtTnTa'h""'">'^°''<'  they  exhibit,  in  TheirTe^ 

portment,  a  happier  union  of  self-respect  with  con- 

ideratmn  for  othere.    The  deficiency  Softener  mw 

rnH^fiTl^.^"*^"-  Pf  P'<''  »»f  in  a  neglect  of  form, 
.Rtir^j,  i;u„vennoiial,  but  which  by  their  P'  teralitv 
have  become  established  rules  of  breedina  J.^  bv 
any  coarse  or  brutal  transgressions  of  „a&Zli£ 

K  2 


ri! 


102         GROSS  rAKfCATUHE  OF  THEIR  MANNERS. 

ncss.     The  former  liberty  may  indeed  easily  degene- 
rate into  every  thing  t|)at  is  both  repulsive  and  dis- 
agreeable ;  but  there  is  that  in  the  manner  of  a  New- 
Englandman,  when  he  most  startles  you  by  his  fa- 
miliarity, which  proves  he  means  no   harm.     The 
common,  vulgar  account  of  such  questions,  as  "  How 
far  are  you  travelling,  stranger.^  and  where  do  you 
come  from  ?   and  what  may  your  name  be  V  if  ever 
true,  is  now  a  gross  caricature.  The  New-Englandman 
18  too  kind  in  all  his  habits  to  call  any  man  stranger* 
His  usual  address  is  "  friend,"  or  sometimes  he  com- 
pliments  a  stranger  of  a  gentlemanly  appearance,  with 
the  title  of  "  squire."     I  sought  the  least  reserved 
intercouree  that  was  possible  with  them,  and  in  no 
mstance  was  I  the  subject  of  the  smallest  intentional 
rudeness.!     I  say  intentional,  for  the  country  phy- 
sician, or  lawyer,  or  divine  (and  I  mingled  with  them 
all,)  was  ignorant  that  he  trespassed  on  the  rules  of 
ngid    breeding,  when  he  made  allusions,  however 
guarded,  to  my  individual  movements  or  situation. 
Indeed  J  am  inclined  to  suspect  that  the  Americans, 
ill  all  parts  of  the  Union,  are  less  reserved  on  per- 
sonal subjects  than  we  of  Europe,  and  precisely  for 
the  reason  that  in  general  they  have  less  to  conceal. 
I  cannot  attribute  a  coarser  motive  than  innocent 
curiosity,  to  the  familiar  habits  of  a  people  who  in 
every  other  particular  are  so  singularly  tender  of 
each  other's  feelings.    The  usage  is  not  denied  even 
by  themselves ;  and  a  professor  of  one  of  their  uni- 
versities accounted  for  it  in  the  following  manner. 
1  he  people  of  New-England  were,  and  are  still,  inti- 
mately allied  in  feeling  no  less  than  in  blood.     Their 


*  Cadwallader  told  me  that  this  appellation  is,  indeed,  used  in 
the  new  States  to  the  south-west,  where  it  is  more  apposite,  and 
sub»e(juent  observation  has  confirmed  the  fact. 

t  It  is  singular  that  every  English  traveller  the  «,ritftr  has 
reaa,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  exaggerations,  either  directlv  or  in- 
directly admits  this  fact.    .  "^ 


PECULIAR  COURTKSV  OF  THE   .NHAB.TANTS.     103 

cnlerprise  earl^  separated  them  from  each  other  hv 
wide  tracte  of  country,  and  before  the  introductio^ 
of  journals  and  public  mails    (h^  iXiv    .  " 

have  been  dependent  onravellt  or  mo^ttf  T" 
passmg  intelligence      ,t  is  not'cJifficuuTc:  cdv" 

to  collect  ,n  order  to  glean  intelligence  from  Upp^? 

before    he  'art  J  ;S:^  wa^l^  fand '-I'n"!^: 
particular,    he  only  difference  between  New  and 

there  was  a  delicacy  of  demeanour  that  1  surnri^  n^ 
m^  population  so  remote  from  the  pohsh  ^Z  h^Ta^gf 
in  J^j    I    *''*  "'''*■'-  '^^'n  'he  wishes  of  the  meanest 

"fan      In  Zt        .'"PPf  "^d  to  affefct  the  comfort 

peopie  unecualler"?  "^  r"^^^^'  '  "^'"'^  "'«">  » 
„„*  V  u-    ^  .    ^*'"     Scarcely  any  one,  however  elp 

any  of  the  dispositions  of  a  public  coach   rf .r  I  iJft 
my  wagon  for  a  time,)  in  a  window  of  a  h'ilT  or  fn 
deed  m  any  tlnng  in  which  others  might  have  an 

w  Aes'TndVr/tr*  ^  ^""^''^  <J-fe-'ee  to  theTr 
wanes.     And  yet  I  have  seen  the  glance  of  on^  wn 

T"  '  T'  ^'"^  '^^  of  humble  condition  too  i°istaZ' 
change  the  unanimous  decision  of  a  dozen  men  '^^ 
By  he  hand  of  the  fair  Isahel,  Waller  there  is 
something  nobte  and  touching,  in  he  un^veilal^d 
yet  simple  and  unnrpt»n-ij„„  u -veisai  ana 

*ese  people  treat  the  weake?s;r"TLTre:  wol 
man  here  has  only  to  respect  herself  in  order  to  meet 


104 


THE  SITUATION  OF   V/i)MEM. 


'% 


•I      ■     .4 


'I 


Wllh  «ntvusal  deferencr      F  now  understand  what 
e^adwadJlader  meant  when  nc  said  fhat  America  was 
the  real  I  iir.'i  lise  of  woman.  The  at  -ntion  and  man- 
Imess  which  lie  exhibited  for  the  Abigail  of  the  Httle 
Isabel,  18  common  to  the  meanest  man,  at  least  in 
New-England.     I  traversed  the  country  in  harvest 
time,  and  scarcely  recollect  to  have  seen  six  females 
m  the  helds,  and  even  they  appeared  there  only  on 
the  emergency  of  some  passing  shower.     When  one 
considers  the  price  which  labour  bears,  ^his  solitary 
lact  IS  m  Itself  pregnant  with  meaning.     A  little  bov 
whom  I  conveyed  with  his  father  in  my  wagon  a 
dozen  miles,  (for  I  neglected  no  opportunity  to  mix 
with  the  people,)  laughed  aloud  as  he  pointed  with 
hia  finger  and  cried,  "  There  is  a  woman  at  work 
ii  long  the  men !"     Had  he  seen  her  riding  a  war- 
horse  'en  mthtaire,'  he  could  scarcely  have  been 
uiore  amused.     After  all,  what  nobler  or  more  con- 
vincing proof  of  high  civilization  can  be  given  than 
«iis  habitual  respect  of  the  strong  for  the   weak  ? 
The  condition  of  women  in  this  country  is  Solelv 
owing  to  the  elevation  of  its  moral  feeling.     As  she 
IS  never  misplaced  in  society,  her  influence  is  ctnly 
lelt  m  the  channels  of  ordinary  and  domestic  life 

I  have  h^.ard  young  and  silly  Europeans,  whose 
vanity  has  probably  been  wounded  in  finding  them- 
selves objects  of  secondary  interest,  affect  to  ridicule 
/he  absorbed  attention  which  the  youthful  American 
matron  bestows  on  her  family ;  and  some  have  gone 
so  far  in  my  presence,  as  to  assert  that  a  lady  of  this 
country  was  ro  more  than  an  upper  servant  in  the 
house  of  her  h.  band.  They  pay  us  of  the  eastern 
hemisphere  bu^  a  '  .  •  (fercnt  compliment,  when  they 
assume  that  thl^  b.  u'ifui  devotion  to  the  first,  the 
highest,  and  mo..t  k>.  elf  ofiice  i  /  die  sex,  is  peculiar 
to  the  women  of  station  in  America  only.     I  have 


repelled  the  insinuation  as  becomes  a  man 


-r — -   "'-  "loiiiuo-nuji  da   ucuuines  a  man; 
but,  alas!  what  is  the  testimony  of  one 'who  can 


■  tTIBKMENT  FROM  THE  WOH'.D.  |0« 

poinl  to  no  fireside,  or  household  of  hi,  own  bul  th» 
dreammg  reverie  of  a  heated  brai,.  ?     Caltrv  or 

dreds  oJ  the  fair,  artless  creatures  he  meets   vvi(h 

nof'thrfr  <""'"•'  r"«<'«"««  'hat  U.e  world  his 
not  the  first  place  id   ler  thoufyhls      T..  .v. 

appears  to  bli  i,.  AmerTca  the  lerv  st^LTf^r^T"!! 
that  IS  due  to  beings  whom  we  belipvp  f^  K^fu 

she  IS  preserved  from  the  destroyina  taint^f  J^' 
Bive  intercourse  with  the  world     Sll      i  \'*'' 

gains  beyond  tho,e  wh'^T^Jpi,  her'oTn  httle"  neT 
sonal  wants,  and  her  heart  isVof  earl/Zr  pttrbv 

s  often  ti  7^  !,"'^'"i"'r  "<=«  °f  selfishnessTsh-I 
IS  olten  the  friend  and  adviser  of  her  husband  h,  f 

never  his  chapman.  She  must  be  sought  in  the  ba'unto 

decenrin"™""'.  T'^'l'  '"^  "»'  aniid^hrwranSnt 
traffic  S^  f  "•*  heart-burnings  of  keen  and  fordfd 
iranic.     fc)o  true  and  general  is  thi'^i  Arf  fK„^    " 

oTnfth'  "^  ^r  P-Portion  of*th  t  dl'ss''who'fr;! 
quent  the  markets,  or  vend  trifles  in  the  sTreet,  nf 

:naies  d.cended  £  c^rtarri^sutiroroni^s  ff 
TJ'.V!'^  --«  ^  4otte?:sSel''rf  - 

pression  on  the  characters  of  a  who've  oeoole   ^f 

W  ?h.*.'  ^^-^  ^"f  P""ciples  of  woma/'u  Ptilmed 
by  the  dire  temotatmnB  ^f  .^^:r^  ...:.,    ,     "'Itainted 


106 


INFLUENCE  OF  WOMEN  IN  SOCIETY. 


*  >  ; 


m      i  \  ^a 


ii     'I 


i  I 


tion  from  one  who  is  placed  beyond  their  influence. 
The  first  impressions  of  the  child  are  drawn  from  the 
purest  sources  known  to  our  nature;  and  the  son, 
even  long  after  he  has  been  compelled  to  enter  on 
the  thorny  track  of  the  father,  preserves  the  memo- 
rial of  the  pure  and  unalloyed  lessons  that  he  has  re- 
ceived from  the  lips,  and,  what  is  far  better,  from  the 
example  of  the  mother.    Though  in  every  picture  of 
life  in  which  these  bright  colours   are  made,   the 
strongest  must   be  deadened   by  deep  and   painful 
shadows,  I  do  firmly  believe  that  the  undeniable  truth 
I  have  just  written  may  be  applied  with  as  much,  if 
not  with  more  justice,  to  the  condition  and  influence 
of  the  sex  in  New-England  as  in  any  portion  of  the 
globe.     I  saw  every  where  the  utmost  possible  care 
to  preserve  the  females  from  undue  or  unwomanly 
employments.     If  there  was  a  burthen,  it  was  in  the 
arms  or  on  the  shoulders  of  the  man.     Even  labours 
that  seem  properly  to  belong  to  the  household,  were 
often  performed  by  the  latter ;  and  I  never  heard  the 
voice  of  the  wife  calling  on  the  husband  for  assistance, 
that  it  was  not  answered  by  a  ready,  manly,  and 
cheerful  compliance.    The  neatness  of  the  cottage,  the 
farm-house,  and  the  inn ;  the  clean,  tidy,  healthful,  and 
vigorous  look  of  the  children,  united  to  attest  the  use- 
fulness of  this  system.  What  renders  all  this  more  strik- 
ing and  more  touching,  is  the  circumstance  that  not 
only  is  labour  in  so  great  demand,  but,  contrary  to  the 
fact  in  all  the  rest  of  Christendom,  the  women  materi- 
ally exceed  the  men  in  numbers.    This  seeming  depar- 
ture from  what  is  almost  an  established  law  of  nature, 
IS  owing  to  the  emigration  westward.    By  the  census 
of  1820,  it  appears,  that  in  the  six  States  of  New- 
England  there  were  rather  more  than  th^teen  females 
to  every  twelve  males  over  the  age  of  sixteen. 

It  is  vain  to  say  that  absence  of  selfishness,  and  all 
the  kinder  and  best  feelings  of  man,  are  no  more  than 
the  concomitants  of  abundance  and  simplicity,  which 


I  ^1 


WFLniNCE  OF  GENERAL  INTELUGENCE  107 

whS  do  not  the  s~  alL™^?  fX''  '™*' 

favoured  region,  of  this\eryconSVl^^'"°'l 
order,  and  industry,  and  enternnV  fn^  u2  ^°  ?°* 
and  healthful  virtuer»hr^>n?"ei  *''*'' *<=*'^e 
America?  why  (7^  tllT5.'"  ^°"?'  «'  '"North 

sterile  and  rocky  StaLTZNl'^^^  the  comparatively 
for  these  very  qualit ks  amiZh  "^'""^  remarkable 

.  »d  healthfulUe^  ftcTnot  brthr"r""""*^"^ 
ciples  they  derived  from  th!-  ^  rel'gious  prin- 
PennsylvaniaS  th^TJ!  ?  "^  ""^^e'*"-^.  since  the 
peaceful  aThTntflfXifdrrarYoT  *^ 
etLCs„reSrt:t^^"'-  y~  *e  a'n^ 

Br/zirirS,t fM^^o"!;'^'"''^?.' ^°''= 
tions  of  this  continrr.r  J  f  '  *"^  ™*"y  o^er  »»- 

Virgima  and  W vtrk  C^  ^  """f/^  °'"^«'-'  ""d 
of  coeval  existenr^     I„  V    .  -^^  *"••  Louisiana,  are 

elastic  and  letting  hKtoV'^thTr  ?'^  ''■^  *«'■•     ' 
which  has  never  beersuffi.rL  ^  f"" /*  »  Pnnciple 

That  nihY.il    ^      individuals.    I  mean  intelligence 
ihat  pitiful  and  narrow  theory  which  ihar.i^n.^f 

to  those  wh^S^^^^^^  ^.«^^T'  ^""^^'•^"^ 

^ouia  not  push  learning  to  its  limits, 


^i  ■: 


I 

n     I 


'fl 


108       THE  SFFl^CTS  Or  GENERAL  INTELLI^ENCI. 

was  never  in  &shion  here.     The  hmits  o(  learning! 
As  if  any  one  could  yet  pronounce  on  the  bound- 
aries wmch  the  Almighty  has  been  pleased  to  set 
between  the  efforts  of  our  reason  and  Iiis  own  om- 
niscience.   It  is  tr4ie  that  the  wisest  men  are  always 
the  most  truly  modest ;  for,  having  outstripped  their 
competitors  in  Ifee  attainment  of  human  knowledge 
they  alone  can  know  how  much  there  is  necessarily 
beyond   their  reach,  and  how  impossible  it  is  for 
mortals  to  attain  it.    But  who  could  ever  yet  say  he 
had  taxed  his  faculties  to  the  utmost     The  world 
has  been  amuRing  itself  with  assumed  axioms  on  this 
subject,  when  it  m^t  have  been  better  employed 
in  investigating  the  truth  in  its  morei@eful  and  prac- 
tical forms.     The  self-sufficiency  of  pretendera  has 
been  toftured  into  an  evidence  of  the  danger  of  em- 
piricism in  knowledge.     As  well  might  the  peuantry 
and  foibles  of  the  student  himself  be  perverted  to  an 
argument  against  learning,  as  to  say  that  thought  must 
be  kept  in  subjection  because  it  sometimes  leads  to 
error.  The  fruits  of  knowledge  are  not  to  be  weighed 
by  the  credit  they  reflect  on  this  or  that  searcher 
after  truth,  but  by  the  influence  they  produce  on  the 
mass  of  society.    The  man,  who,  from  defect  of  pow- 
ers, or  from  any  other  adverse  circumstance,  cannot 
assist  in  the  advancement  of  intelhgence,  may,  not- 
withstanding, become  the  wholesome  recipient  of 
truth;  and  the  community  which  encourages  a  dis- 
semination of  the  sacred  quality,  enjoys  an  incalcu- 
lable advantage  over  all  others,  inasmuch  as  each  of 
its  members  starts  so  much  nearer  to  the  goal  for 
which  every  p^>ple  must  strive,  (and  that  too  through 
its  indivi<lua]  members,)  in  order  to  secure  a  distin- 
guished place  in  the  great  competition  of  nations. 
It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  the  retired,  distant,  and 

Httlf>    rfiorjirHpfl    Siafpe    r\f  xxrhirh    I    am     ixrrifin<T      VtaA 

matured  and  were  reaping  the  rare  fruits  of  a  sys- 
tem of  extended  general  instruction,  for  quite  a  cen- 


PKCUL.AH   MEH.t    OF    KEW-E^OL.M,.  ,09 

the  ear,  of  th^e  libeS^^.te?'?"'?.*'  *='^«™«<J 
yourselyes,  which  then  e,Hi1.Tl^f' ""''"■■  ?'«"  «"• 
in  the  wishes  of  Ae  fr?,lt  •  '  "' '*"<>''  exists,  only 
yet  one  heZ  ^fte  S  ^':i1"?  ^^T"!™'"  ^"^ 
of  New  owe  to  the  ?^nlT°7'-^''*  *>"«  *e  people 

common  ancesto  "mavS  ll°'''  ^.'?S''«''-  The 
to  thd.  children  wV„th'^K-S"°'^'^'"''^"tance 
pears  to  me  that  Vh»  l  "  '  '"''J^"'  "*  'east,  it  ap- 
sphere  hTs  madL^  h?E'.  f  «!^^-^*e™  hemi 
kinsman,  who  reeled  «fhn'  ^T  ^'^*'  ^^''^  his 
than  imitate  threxamnfe  ^???' ''''l'^""^  little  more 

wa^iTSWa  pS  :;^' '  ^-  -"«- 

the-  two  subiecte  thaf  »,  \  '  "***  '"terest  which 
feil  to  inspfi  A?i*t^r  "'*^"  '*^  *'*"«s  rarely 
>ny  feeliniZ'th  for  th^T  ^Z  T*^'  ^""^  '»*<>  »« 

the  policy,  of  your  rti^n^^'^*^''''^'"''^  have  been 
your  kinsmen  Se  thl~ '  .-r''?'^''  ^'*  that  of 
in  Denmark,  a^la  few  oth!^^  ""T '"  ^"S"'""'.  «« 
»oble  spirit  of  emulation  W  ![  T'""''  ""  ''«'>  ^"^ 

sentence  of  that  Xhh""  -."°*  '■^''''"  *  ''"§'« 
subject  mnst  blTeft' unti  fuX'' "^  ?""•  S-''^-^ 
be  given  to  look  into  the  oH^t  /^P°'*^»".>'  ^'"'" 
't»  large  towns.  ^'^  "^  New-England  in 

r  P^l?<?ely  ^a^owi^'  '"''  '■^'=^''*  excursion,  though 

conversation.  Ms  f„!„/"^,  '"^'^'austible  topic  of 
like  the  pass;ge  of  f  Mr^  !'""«  the  coast  has'^been 
lase  h..  h=;l51°  .^  Hhant  meteor.     In  everv  vii 

"^joicing;:  wMe  hirel;^''**  ^°''^»*'  ••"'  heartfeit 
^- .fa  lly  t^riuXha^  ?h:f ?h:^:  ^  ^^ 


m 


110 


NEW-YORK. 


some  exhibitions  of  joy  which  a  fastidious  taste  might 
reject,  cannot  be  denied ;  but  you  will  remember  that 
the  people  of  this  country  are  left  to  express  their 
own  sentiments  in  their  own  fashion.  The  surprise 
should  be,  not  that  the  addresses  and  receptions  of 
which  you  will  doubtless  see  some  account  in  Europe, 
are  characterized  by  so  little,  but  that  they  are  dis- 
tinguished by  so  much  soundness  of  discrimination, 
truth  of  principle,  and  propriety  of  manner. — Adieu. 


ii 


A    I 


'i  4m 


TO  THE  BARON  VON  KEMPERFELT, 
&c.  Sec. 


New-York,  1824. 
I  FEEL  that  a  description  of  this  ancient  city  of  the 
United  Provinces  is  due  to  you.  In  dwelling  on  its 
admirable  position,  its  growing  prosperity,  and  its 
probable  grandeur,  I  wish  to  excite  neither  your 
hopes,  nor  your  regrets.  I  have  seen  enough  of  this 
country  already,  to  know,  that  in  losing  the  New- 
Netherlands  in  their  infancy,  you  only  escaped  the 
increased  misfortune  of  having  them  wrested  from 
your  power  by  their  own  efforts  at  a  more  advanced 
period,  when  the  struggle  might  have  cost  you,  like 
that  which  England  has  borne,  and  Spain  still  suf- 
fers— an  incalculable  expenditure  of  men  and  money. 
You  are  thrice  happy  that  your  dominion  in  this 
quarter  of  America  did  not  endure  long  enough  to 
leave,  in  its  train,  any  mortifying  and  exasperating 
recollections.  The  Dutch  are  still  remembered  here 
with  a  feeling  strongly  allied  to  affinity,  by  thousands 
of  their  descendants,  who  if,  among  their  more  rest- 
less and  bustling  compatriots  of  the  east,  tliey  are  not 
distinguished  for  the  great  enterprise  which  is  pecu- 


wlr' 


WHAT    IT    SHOULD    HAVE    BEEN. 


Ill 


har  to  that  energetic  population,  have  ever  main- 
tamed  the  highest  character  for  thrift,  undeniable 
courage,  and  inflexible  probity.  These  are  qualities 
which  never  fail  to  create  respect,  and  which,  by 
some  unfortunate  construction  of  the  human  mind 
as  rarely  excite  envy  as  emulation,  uii  f 

The  name  of  the  town,  itself,  is  far  from  being 

S^?\;r    ,     P'^*^^  ^*^"^®  ^^  a  l<^ng  narrow  island, 
called  Manhattan,  a  native  appellation  which  should 
liave   been  perpetuated   through   that  of  the  city. 
1  here  was  a  precedent  for  innovation  which  might 
have  been  followed  to  advantage.     It  is  a  little  sur- 
prising that  these  republicans,  v^rho  are  not  guiltless 
ot  sundry  absurd  changes  in  their  nomenclature  of 
streets  squares,  counties,  and  towns,  should  have  ne- 
glected the  opportunity  of  the  Revolution,  not  bnly 
to  deprive  the  royal  family  of  England  of  the  honour 
ol  giving  a  name  to  both  their  principal  State  and 
pnncipal  to>yn,  but  to  restore  a  word  so  sonorous, 
and  which  admits  of  so  many  happy  variations  as  the 
appellation  of  this  island.  A  "  Manhattanese"  has  cer- 
tainly a  more  poetical  sound  than  a  "New-Yorker-" 
and  there  is  an  euphony  in  the  phrase  of  «  Men  of 
Manhattan"  that  the  lovers  of  alliteration  may  long  sigh 
m  vam  to  hear  equalled  by  any  transposition  of  the 
present  unmusical  and  complex  term.   Nor  would  the 
adoption  of  a  new  name  be  attended  with  half  of  the 
evils  m  the  case  of  a  city  or  a  county,  as  in  that  of  a 
street  or  a  market,  since  the  very  notoriety  and  im- 
portance of  the  alteration  would  serve  to  apprise  all 
men  of  the  circumstance.    But  a  century  and  a  hal" 
have  confirmed  the  present  title;  and  while  the  city 
ot  the  white  rose  has  been  mouldering  in  provincial 
quiet,  her  western  god-child  has  been  growing  into 
an  importance  that  is  likely  to  carry  the  name  to 
that  distant  period  when  the  strup-o-les  of  ih^  o^, .«„.,. 
tactions  shall  be  lost  in  the  obscurity  of  time,  or  be 
matter  ol  vague  and  remote  history. 


112 


THE  BAYS  AROUND  NEW-YORK. 


''   'i 


i    5 


ri 


A  nation  as  coiaaiercial  and  active  as  this,  has 
only  fairly  to  elect  the  position  of  its  favourite  mart 
to  put  it  on  a  level  with  the  chief  places  of  the  earth. 
London  and  Paris,  Vienna,  Ronie,  Carthage,  and, 
for  any  thing  we  know,  Pekin  and  Nankin,  can  refer 
the  causes  of  their  greatness  to  little  beside  accident 
or  caprice.  The  same  might  be  said  of  hundreds 
more  of  the  principal  places  of  antiquity,  or  of  out- 
own  times.  But  it  is  only  necessary  to  sit  down 
with  a  minute  map  of  die  country  before  you,  to 
perceive,  at  a  glance,  that  Nature  herself  has  intend- 
ed the  island  of  Manhattan  for  the  site  of  one  of  ih^i 
greatest  commercial  towns  in  the  world.  The  spirit 
of  its  possessors  is  not  likely  to  balk  this  intention  ; 
and  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  the  agent«,  both  phys- 
ical and  moral,  are  in  the  happiest  possible  unison 
to  accomplish  the  mighty  plan.  Although  all  de- 
scription must  fail  to  give  a  clear  idea  of  the  advan- 
tages of  such  a  position,  yet,  as  your  imagination 
may  be  somewhat  aided  by  one  as  imperfect  as  that 
must  necessarily  be  which  comes  from  my  pen,  it 
shall  be  attempted  after  my  own  desultory  and  irr^ 
ular  manner. 

You  must  have  obtained,  through  my  letters,  some 
general  impression  concerning  the  two  great  bays 
which  lie  betw^een  New- York  and  the  ocean.  The 
former,  you  will  recollect,  is  known  by  the  name  of 
"Raritan,"  and  the  latter  forms  what  is  properly 
called  the  "Harbour."  Raritan  Bay  is  an  extensive 
roadstead,  abounding  with  situations  where  vessels 
may  be  partially  protected  from  every  wind  that 
blows.  It  is,  in  fact,  only  open  to  the  sea  on  the 
east ;  but,  by  the  aid  of  the  low  sandy  cape  I  have 
inentionedj-ehelter  can  be  had  in  it  against  the  hea- 
viest gales  from  that  quarter,  as  it  may  also  be  foimd 
in  some  one  of  its  many  anchoring  grounds,  aeainst 
«x^  TTiiivi  1S.WU  cvcij  uiiiur  poHii  oi  me  compass. 
The  harbour  is  still  more  secure ;  a  vessel  being  en- 


Harbour,  ANCHORAGE, ETC.  113 

scarcely  LockTn'the^hrre^orttotndf''  *''"t'' 
or  even  to  injure  a  cable     R,.??^  .  *"*'"?er  a  ship, 

loading  and  Zo:^:^'oC  f^hU  IZ'tZ  '"  *'' 
and  construction  of  vLels,  atl'nThe  HoZ^lZ 

of  its  junction  with  th7b  J  Z'^^  J'T  t^  IT 
already  extensile  tha„t"e  ^f'  tf'"^"  ''''A' 

p.ain  thtt'rro;  ;tr^r;^^l„t''d*'  v^ 

as  the   necessitipa  ^r  fK       1     -^    .     ^^^^"ded  as  far 
Tk      •  "t^cessities  ol  the  place  shall  evpp  r^n,,;.^ 

attTh-u;dTe7S^afdt^^''™^^^^^^^^^^ 
er.^tson,enft;t™x;^'rrl'"  ''""^^  ""'  ''^hter 

and  covered  with  a  surfece  -'•■'--""""  "'*'?^  ''°"^' 
species  of  (]uay,  if  durab 


'ity  be  put  out  of  the 


L2 


ques- 


114       YELLOW  JTEVER — BUT    LITTLE  DREADED. 


^.11 


r   :! 


W! 


tion,  is  perhaps  the  best  in  the  world.  The  theory 
that  wood  subject  to  the  action  of  tides  in  salt  water 
may  become  the  origin  of  disease,  is,  like  a  thou- 
sand otlier  theories,  much  easier  advanced  than 
supported.  It  is  very  true  that  the  yellow  fever  has 
often  existed  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  some  of 
these  wharfs ;  but  it  is  quite  as  true  that  there  are 
miles  of  similarly  constructed  quays,  in  precisely  the 
same  climate,  where  it  has  never  existed  at  all.  The 
Americans  appear  to  trouble  themselves  very  little 
on  this  point,  for  they  are  daily  constructing  great 
ranges  of  these  wooden  piers,  in  order  to  meet  the 
increasing  demands  of  their  trade,  while  the  whole 
of  the  seven  miles  of  water  which  fronts  the  city,  is 
lined  with  similar  constructions,  if  we  except  the 
public  mall,  called  "  the  Battery,"  which  is  protected 
from  the  waves  of  the  bay  by  a  wall  of  stone. 

The  yellow  fever  is  certainly  the  only  drawback 
on  the  otherwise  unrivalled  commercial  position  of 
New-York ;  but  the  hazard  of  this  disease  is  greatly 
magnified  in  Europe.  The  inhabitants  of  the  place 
appear  to  have  but  Httle  dread  on  the  subject,  and 
past  experience  would  seem,  in  a  great  measure,  to 
justify  their  indifference.  So  far  as  I  can  learn,  there 
never  have  been  but  three  or  four  summers  when  that 
fatal  malady  has  committed  any  very  serious  ravages 
in  this  latitude.  These  seasons  occurred  at  the  close 
of  the  last,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the  present 
century.  Since  the  year  1804,  there  have  been  but 
two  autumns  when  the  yellow  fever  has  existed  to 
any  dangerous  degree  in  New- York,  and  neither  of 
them  proved  very  fatal,  though  it  is  certain  that  the 
arrangements  of  the  city  were  excessively  inconve- 
nienced by  its  appearance.  I  believe  it  is  admitted 
by  scientihc  men,  that  this  dangerous  malady,  though 
it  is  always  characterized  by  certain  infallible  symp- 
toms, often  exhibits  itself  under  forms  so  very  much 
modified  as  to  render  different  treatments  necessary 


I'aVfcll    OF    1819    AND    1822.  US 

hJ!!^  ""^"u  "'■New- York  fonn  a  sncceseion  ofiittle 
basms,  which  are  sometimes  laree  enough  to  admit 

"^regular  docks  have  obtained  the  name  of  "slint  ' 

ifT  T.  offensive.  Around  this  slip,  at  the  close 
of  the  hot  weather  in  1 8 1 9,  the  yellow  feVer  madeTt! 
appearance.  A  few  individuals  became  itrvicTmrbe 

ne  tral"*^  V°'  r  t"'''  --  fun;  elJ^brhed." 
I  be  city  authorities  took  prompt  and  happy  meas 

arcs  for  its  suppression,  fhe  question  of  contarion 
or  of  non-contagion  had  long  Keen  hot°y  con  eft^S 
among  the  medical  men,  and  I  sort  of  Sle  "ou '  e 
between  the  precautions  inculcated  by  ihe  twj 
theories,  had  begun  to  be  practised.  So  soon  as^t 
was  found  how  far  the  disease  extended  ?andit^ 

MlZrr°TT^^y  ™='"')  the  inbf bft'ants  were 
all  removed,  and  the  streets  were  fenced  in  order 

hnS^7"i"'^"^l'^*°  ^''''t  ^''^  proclaimed  by  au' 
Ihonty  to  be  "  the  infected  district."  The  sick  we7e 

conveyed  into  otlier  quarters  of  the  town,  or  t^ 'he 

country,  some  dying  and  others  recovering     When 

*e  removal  was  made  in  time,  or  when  "he  d Lease 

d  d  not  make  its  appearance  until  after  the  pltient 

had  experienced  the  benefit  of  pure  air  the  mJ}X 

one  took  the  disease  by  contagion,  it  being  affirmed 

tlTZ'AV:  ."f  ^--^-^  <="""  be  'dMnTti? 
traced  to     the  infected  district."     The  taint    rnr 

ruption    or  animaloute  in  the  air,  whichever  thi 

lita:fo^H"^'''''^™'shtbe,gvadu;ii;Xr'ad^^^ 
IT  was  found  nerpssa rv  fr.  ^^f^°j  ..u.  v  ^..     "'"'." 

mfected  district "in-eie-i^d^^l^-     aTt^ld  ti^^t 
thousands  remained  in  their  dwellings,  wUW„  mus! 


\     I      **;i 


.^«*- 


'^  I 


li 


ii    ■ 


U6       INSTANCE  OF  CONTRACTING  THE  DISEASE. 

ket-shot  of  this  spot  dedicated  to  death,  perfectly 
satisfied  that  the  enemy  could  make  no  inroads  on 
their  security  without  giv  ing  notice  of  his  approach 
through  some  of  those  who  dwelt  nearest  to  the  pro- 
scribed region.  As  the  latter,  however,  rxted  as  a 
sort  of  forlorn  hope,  a  very  respectable  sp  ce  was 
left  around  the  fences,  and,  in  one  or  two  in.^tances, 
especially  in  1822,  the  disease,  for  want  of  nearer 
subjects,  surprised  a  few  who  believed  themselves 
sufliciently  removed  from  its  ravages.  In  neither 
year,  however,  did  a  case  occur  that  could  not  be 
distinctly  traced  to  "  the  infected  district,"  or  lu  a 
space  that  does  not  exceed  one  thirtieth  part  of  the 
surface  of  the  whole  city.  The  progress  of  the  dis- 
ease was  exceedingly  slow,  extending  in  a  circle 
around  the  point  whence  it  appeared  to  emanate.  I 
heard  several  curious  and  well  authenticated  cir- 
cumstances, that  serve  to  confirm  these  facts,  one  of 
which  I  will  relate. 

A  lady  of  fortune  had  retired  to  the  country  on  the 
first  appearance  of  the  fever.  The  house  she  left, 
stood  a  few  hundred  feet  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
"  infected  district."  Her  son  had  occasion  to  visit 
this  dwelling,  which  he  did  without  scruple,  since 
the  guardians  of  the  city  were  thought  to  be  on  the 
alert,  and  hundreds  were  still  residing  between  the 
house  and  the  known  hmits  of  the  disease.  On  the 
return  of  the  young  gentleman  to  the  country  he  was 
seized  with  the  fever,  but  happily  recovered.  The 
fortune  and  connexions  of  the  youth  gave  notoriety 
to  his  case,  and  the  fences  were  removed  under  the 
impression  that  the  danger  was  spreading.    After  his 

recovery,  however,  Mr. acknowledged  that,  led 

by  his  curiosity,  he  had  gone  to  the  fence  the  day  he 
was  in  town,  where  he  stood  for  some  time  contem- 
plating the  solitude  of  the  deserted  streets.     My  in- 

fnrmanf    ■\vlio  roillfl  Kp  »»   liffl^  ■.-.rr^^^-C^U    „-.^5,     xi-t- 

*" •■•■'■)    '• '"^  ?v^»!!u  UK,  ex.  iKvn^    "ttiiuiDii    even    un  lliis 

grave  subject,  added,  that  some  pretended  that  the 


THEORIES  CONCERNING  THE  FEVER  Hy 

its  substance.  ^        ^^^^  *^  **^®  s^^ry  m 

on8,9,  though  ;heTfr/Si^;:,t«'«™  t"  ™*''* 

extencive,  and  occupied  a  part  of  he  ^fv  fl  .  ""^ 
supposed  to  be  more  healAv  R„t  •'^  ''*'  '^*'' 
shbwn  that  the  dwlr  L  ^■•.    ■"*  *''P^"*"<=e  had 

r.;  tt  Sit,  :i, '  ""^  -*^.-ts 

enKsted  themselves  in  fevonrS^  the  physicians, 
the  conflicting  theories  of  rZ  ■  °"^  '"'  ^^  "^^^  »f 
importation  T^on-rportat  r"  iT  """-"'^gio". 
admitted  all  round  thT^oJ"  a  ^ears  to  be 
tra,.'^j  •  ■<"'™i  tnat  the  disorder  cannot  be  mn 
traced  m  a  pure  atmosohcre      If  t»,«  „.    "'  "f  '=°'>- 

j.i.., ...  z  fit. J^;v^7,;:i» 

mometer  has  stood  somethins  rbove  80  for      ^"' 
n««>berof  da,s  in  accession. ^AXt'?he''[emr;:':     , 


w 


13  .V  I  ■« 


*fl 


il',  * 


118    FACTS  CONrERNINO  THE  DISEASE.    THEORIES. 

ture  is  often  as  higli,  and  for  similar  periods,  without 
the  appearance  of  the  fever.  The  seeds  of  the  dis- 
ease are  undoubtedly  imported,  whether  it  is  ever 
generated  here  or  not ;  for  it  has  often  happened  that 
labourers  who  have  been  employed  in  vessels  from 
the  West  Indies,  after  the  crews  had  left  them,  have 
sickened  and  died.  These  cases  must  have  arisen 
from  a  contaminated  air,  and  not  from  strict  conta- 
gion. Indeed  there  is  scarce  a  summer  in  which 
some  case  of  the  fever  does  not  occur  at  the  Laz- 
aretto, through  vessels  from  the  West  Indies,  or  the 
more  southern  points  of  the  United  States.  That 
the  disorder  does  not  extend  itself  is  imputed  to  the 
pureness  of  the  atmosphere  at  the  time  being.  In  a 
question  in  which  important  facts  are  liable  to  so 
much  qualification,  it  is  necessary,  however,  to  admit 
their  inferences  with  great  caution.  So  much  must 
depend,  for  instance,  on  the  particular  state  of  the 
system  of  the  individual,  that  each  case  seems  to  re- 
quire a  close  examiny.tion  before  any  very  conclusive 
reasoning  can  be  grounded  on  its  circumstances. 
One  of  the  theories  of  the  disorder,  as  you  probably 
know,  assumes  that  it  is  no  more  than  a  high  bilious 
fever  exhibited  under  a  peculiarly  malignant  form. 
All  this  may  be  very  true,  and  yet  the  agent  to  pro- 
duce that  malignity,  may  exist  in  the  atmosphere  in 
such  a  condition  as  to  render  it  capable  of  transport- 
ation, and  if  I  may  so  express  it,  of  expansion.  There 
is  a  vulgar  opinion  that  certain  vicious  animalculaB 
are  generated  in  the  warmer  climates,  and  when  con- 
veyed to  this  latitude,  if  they  meet  with  a  genial 
temperature,  they  thrive  and  propagate  their  species 
like  other  people,  until  growing  bold  with  their  num- 
bers they  wander  abroad,  are  inhaled,  and  continue 
to  poison  the  springs  of  human  existence,  until  a  day 
of  retribution  arrives  in  the  destroying  influence  ot 
a  sharp  frost.  li  is  certain  that  the  iiiiiabliaiiis  oi 
New-York,  who  would  have  considered  their  hves 


!■' 


KEORIE.S. 


CHARACTEll  OF  NEW-VOHK   FOR  HEALTH.  119 

in  jeopardy  by  entering  their  dwellings  one  day,  take 
peaceable  possession  of  them  the  morning  after  a 
wholesome  frost,  with  entire  impunity.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  much  of  the  embarrassment  under  which 
this  subject  labours,  is  produced  by  the  near  resem- 
blance between  the  fever  which  is  certainly  imported, 
and  that  which  sometimes  originates  in  the  climate 

n  wtf .1  ^'^';'  Pf  ;^'»^^'  '^' •'"•^^^  '^  *hose  cases' 
n  which  the  patient  has  a  strong  predisposition  to 
the  malady  After  all,  the  most  exaggerated  no^ons 
prevail  in  Europe  concerning  the  danger  of  the  dis- 
ease  m  this  latitude.  Nine-tenths  of  fhe  Tpace  cov- 
ZtZ  ^''  city  never  had  an  original  case  of  yellow 
r!I!  '^'Ti'^?  appearance  at  all  is  of  rare  occur- 
rence.  Indeed,  I  am  led  to  believe  that  New- York 
owing  to  Its  fine  situation,  is  on  the  whole  more 
healthy  than  most  large  towns.     It  has  also  been 

ported,  are  probably  greatly  magnified  beyond  the 
truth  s,nce  the  family  physician  or  friend  of^one  who 
has  died,  for  instance,  by  excessive  use  of  ardent 
iquors  would  not  be  apt  to  tell  the  disreputable 
truth,  especially  as  it  is  not  exacted  under  the  obli- 
gations of  an  oath.     Though  I  have  as  yet  seen  no 

iri'  ^^}-^''\  *^"*  intemperance,  particulariy 
among  the  native  Americans,  abounds  here  more  than 
in  other  countries,  yet  I  can  readily  believe  it  is  very 
latal  m  its  consequences  in  a  latitude  where  the  tem- 
perature IS  so  high  in  summer.  There  are  certainTy 
disorders  that  are  more  or  less  incidental  to  the  cli- 

acter  T^  '!k  """"^  ^^^"'^  ^^  ^  pernicious  char- 

ac  er,  that  are  either  relatively  innocent,  or  utterly 
unknown.  When  it  is  remembered  that  compared 
vv^th  the  amount  of  the  whole  population,  a  far  greater 
number  than  usual  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  cfty  are 
01  mat  reckless  and  advpnfnmiio  ^looo  *u„4.  __--  i 
mdulgence  more  than  life,  and  how  easy  it  is  to  pro- 
oure  mdulgence  here,  I  think  it  will  be  (bund  hy^Z 


'i^m'^ 


120 


NEW-YORK    A    CLEAN    TOWN. 


r% 


il 


official  reports,  that  the  city  of  New-York  may  claim 
a  high  place  among  the  most  salubrious  ports  of  the 
world.  This  impression  will  be  increased,  when  one 
recalls  how  little  has  as  yet  been  done  towards  ob- 
tainine  wholesome  water,  or  to  carry  off  the  impuri- 
ties of  the  place  by  means  of  drains.  Still,  a&  it  is. 
New- York  is  far  from  being  a  dirty  town*  It  has 
certainly  degenerated  from  that  wholesome  and  un- 
tiring cleanliness  which  it  may  be  supposed  to  have 
inherited  from  its  first  possessors.     The  houses  are 

^  no  longer  scrubbed  externally,  nor  is  it  required  to 
leave  one's  slippers  at  its  gates,  lest  the  dust  of  the 
roads  should  sully  the  brightness  of  glazed  tiles  and 
glaring  bricks.  But  Paris  is  foul  indeed,  and  London, 
in  its  more  crowded  parts,  far  from  being  cleanly, 
compared  to  New-York.  And  yet  the  commercial 
emporium  of  this  nation  bears  no  goodly  reputation 
in  this  particular,  among  the  Americans  themselves. 
Her  sister  cities  are  said  to  be  far  more  lovely,  and 
the  filth  of  the  town  is  a  subject  of  daily  moanings  in 
its  own  journals. 

But  admitting  the  evil  in  its  fullest  extent,  it  is  but 
a  trifling  blot  on  the  otherwise  high  pretensions  of 
the  place.  Time,  and  a  better  regulated  poHce,  will 
serve  to  remedy  much  greater  evils  than  this.  In 
order  to  view  the  city  in  its  proper  light,  it  must  be 
considered  in  connexion  with  those  circumstances 
which  are  fast  giving  to  it  the  character  of  the  great 
mart  of  the  western  hemisphere. 

By  referring  to  the  description  already  given,  you 
will  find  that  New- York  possesses  the  advantages  of 
a  capacious  and  excellent  roadstead,  a  vast  harbour, 
an  unusually  extensive  natural  basin,  vnth  two  out- 
lets to  the  sea,  and  a  river  that,  in  itself,  might  con- 
tain all  the  shipping  of  the  earth.  By  means  of  the 
Sound,  and  its  tributary  waters,  it  has  the  closest 
connexion  with  the  adjoining  State^  of  Cormecticut ; 

and,  through  the  ajacent  bays,  small  vessels  penetrate 


SURROUNDING  COMMUNICATION  BY  WATER.       121 

in  almost  every  direction  into  that  of  New-Jersey. 
These  are  the  channels  by  which  the  town  receives 
.te   ordinary  daily  suppH.s.     Cadwallader  pointed 
out  on  the  map  seven  considerable  navigable  rivers 
exclusive  of  the  noble  Hudson,  and  a  fast  numW 
of  mlets  creeks,  and  bays,  all  of  which  were  within 
a  hundred  miles  of  this  place,  and  with  which  daUy 
and  hourly  intercourse  is  held  by  means  of  sloops 
or  steam-boats.     Still  these  are  no  more  than  the 
minor  and  more  familiar  advantages  of  New-York 
which,   however;  they  may  contribute  to  her  con-' 
venience,  become  insignificant  when  compared  to 
the  more  important  sources  of  her  prosperity.     It  is  ■ 

Z.T  '"^  ?T  ^""^^  convenien^ces,%atie  h^ 
done  die  work  that  man  would  probably  have  to 
perform  a  centory  hence,  and  thereby  is  the  growth 
of  he  town  greatly  facilitated,  but  the  true  %^2 
of  its  future  grandeur  must  be  described  on  a  fS 
more  magnificent  scale. 

of  iT'n^T^  stands  central  between  the  commerce 
of  the  north  and  that  of  the  south.  It  is  the  first 
practicable  port,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  after  y^u 
quit  the  mouth  of  the  Chesapeake,  going  noXj^ 
It  lies  m  the  angle  formed  by  the  coast,  and  whei^ 
the  courses  to  Europe,  to  the  West  Indies,  or  to  the 
Southern  Atlantic  can  be  made  direct,  'xhe  sWp 
irom  Virginia,  or  Louisiana,  commonly  passes  within 
the'^r^f  of  New-York,  on  its  way  (o^EuropI,  anS 
the  coaster  from  Boston  frequently  stops  at  the 
wharfs  of  this  city  to  deposit  part  of  its  freight  befwe 
proceeding  further  south.  ^  ^ 

Now,  one  so  conversant  with  the  world  as  yourself 
need  not  be  reminded  that  in  every  great  coimeS 

mart,  where  exchanges  can  be  regulated,  loans  effect- 
ed,  cargoes  vended  in  crross.  anH  oil  ^ihL  ^ui^lT^^ 
nected  with  trade,  ti^sacte^on  a' sc;i;'c;^^ 


I 't 


122       INCREASE,  AND  CONSEQUENCE  OF  SUCCESS. 

surate  to  the  magnitude  of  the  interests  involved  in 
its  pursuits.     The  natural  advantages  of  New- York 
had  indicated  this  port  to   the  Americans  for  that 
spot,  immediately  after  the  restoration  of  the  peace 
in  1783.     Previously  to  that  period,  the  whole  pro- 
ceedings of  the  colonies  were  more  or  less  influenced 
by  the  policy  of  the  mother  country.    But  for  a  long 
time  after  the  independence  of  the  States  was  ac- 
knowledged, the  possessors  of  the  island  of  Manhat- 
tan had  to  contend  for  supremacy  against  a  powerful 
rivalry.     Philadelphia,  distant  less  than  a  hundred 
^  miles,  was  not  only  more  wealthy  and  more  populous, 
'but  for  many  years  it  enjoyed  the  iclat  and  advantage 
of  being  the  capital  of  the  Union.    Boston  and  Balti- 
more are  both  seaports  of  extensive  connexions,  and 
of  great  and  enlightened  enterprise.     Against  this 
serious  competition,  however.  New- York  struggled 
with  success ;  gradually  obtaining  the  superiority  in 
tonnage  and  inhabitants,  until  within  a  few  years, 
when  opposition  silently  yielded  to  the  force  of  cir- 
cumstances, and  those  towns  which  had  so  long  been 
rivals  became  auxiliaries  to  her  aggrandizement.   All 
this  is  perfectly  in  the  natural  course  of  things,  though 
1  find  that  a  lingering  of  the  ancient  jealousy  still 
tempts  many  of  the  merchants  of  the  other  towns  to 
ascribe  the  ascendancy  of  New- York  to  any  cause 
but  the  right  one.   Among  other  things,  the  establish- 
ment of  those  numerous  lines  of  packets,  to  which  I 
have  alluded  in  a  previous  letter,  is  thought  to  have 
had  an  influence  on  her  progress.     It  appears  to  me 
that  this  is  mistaking  the  effect  for  the  cause.     If  I 
am  rightly  informed,  the  merchant  of  Boston  already 
sends  his  ship  here  for  freight ;  frequently  sells  his 
cargo  under  the  hammer  of  the  New-Yort  auctioneer 
to  his  own  neighbour,  and  buys  a  new  one  to  send  to 
to  some  distant  part  of  the  world,  without  seeing, 
from  the  commencement  of  the  year  to  its  close,  the 


es  was  ac- 


CHARACTER  OF  POPULATION GROWTH.  123 

vessel  which  is  the  instrument  of  transporting  his 
wealth  to  the  various  quarters  of  the  world.  Phila- 
delphians  have  been  pointed  out  to  me  who  are  said 
to  be  employed  m  pursuits  of  the  same  nature.  The 
whole  mystery  of  these  transactions  rests  on  a  prin- 
ciple that  IS  withm  the  compass  of  any  man's  under- 

v^^^^K  ^i"*""^*"  ^''f'''!^'  '^^'^  ^^  ^'^d  a'-e  sometimes 
vended  by  itmerants  m  its  streets,  the  material  wants 

market-place      It  is  easier  to  ^nd  a  purchaser  where 
much  than  where  little  is  sold,  and  it  is  precisely  for 
the  reason  that  prices  take  a  wider  ran^e  in  an  ex- 
tensive  than  ,n  a  limited  market,  that  men  congre- 
gate there  to  feed  their  wants  or  to  glut  their  avarice. 
That jSFew-York  must,  in  the  absence  of  any  coun- 
teracting  moral  causes,  at  some  day  have  become 
this  chosen  mart  of  American  commerce,  is  suffi- 
ciently evident  by  its  natural  advantages;  and  that 
the  hour  of  this  supremacy  has  arrived  is,  I  think 
apparent  by  the  facts  which  I  have  mentioned,  sup-' 
ported  as  they  are  by  the  strong  corroborat-ne  cir- 
cumstance, that  hundreds  are  now  daily  quitting  the  ^ 
other  towns  to  resort  to  this.  ^ 

The  consequences  of  its  rapid  growth,  and  the 
extraordinary  medley   of  which   its  population   is 
composed,  serve  to   give  something  of  a  peculiar 
character  to  New-York.    CadwalladL  tells  i^e  "hat 
with  perhaps  the  exception  of  New-Orleans,  it  is  the 
only  city  m  the  Umon  that  has  not  the  air  of  a  pro- 
vincial to^yn.     For  my  own  part,  1  have  found  in  it 
such  a  melange   of  customs,  nations,  society,  and 
manners  all  tempered,  without  being  destroved,  by 
the  institutions  and  opinions  of  the  country,  that  I 
despair  of  conveying  a  correct  idea  of  either  by  de- 
scription. We  shall  have  more  definite  data  in  speak- 
ing  ol  its  unprecedented  growth, 
.J?  ^T^^»  i*^e  <^»ty  of  New- York  contained  J  3,000 
iouls;  m  1790,33,000;  in  1800,60,000;  in  1810, 


.?:  ..; 


,«  ij 


124    INCREASE REASONS  FOR  A  VARIATION. 

96,000;  in  1820,  123,000;  and,  in  1825,  166,000.* 
The  latter  enumeration  is  exclusive  of  Brooklyn,  a 
flourishing  village  which  has  arisen  within  the  last 
half  dozen  years  from  next  to  nothing;  which, 
from  its  position  and  connexion  with  the  city,  is  in 
truth  .  o  more  than  a  suburb  differently  governed ; 
and  which  in  itself  contains  about  10,000  souls. 

By  the  foregoing  statement,  you  will  see  that, 
while  the  growth  of  New- York  has  been  lather  reg- 
ular than  otherwise,  its  population  has  doubled  with- 
in the  last  thirty-five  years  nearly  at  the  rate  of  once 
in  i^f^cen  years.     Between  1790  and  1800,  the  com- 
parative increase  was  the  greatest.     This  was  prob- 
ably  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  was  the  moment  when 
the  peculiar  situation  of  the  world  gave  an  extraor- 
dinary impulse  to  the  American  commerce.  Between 
1800  and   1820,  were  felt  the  effects  of  a  highly 
thi -ving  trade,  the  re-action  of  embargoes,  non-inter- 
course and  war,  and  the  relative  stagnation  attendant 
on  the  return  of  business  to  its  more  natural  chan- 
nels.    The  extraordinary  increase  in  the  last  five 
years,  during  a  period  of  ordinary  commerce,  is,  I 
think,  to  be  imputed  to  the  accessions  obtained  by 
the  silent  acquiescence  of  her  rivals  in  the  future 
supremacy  of  this  town  as  the  great  mart  of  the  na- 
tion.    To  what  height,  or  hov/  long  this  latter  cause 
may  serve  to  push  the  accumulation  of  New- York 
beyond  what  would  be  its  natural  growth,  exceeds 
my  a  JJity  to   estimate.     Though   it  may  receive 
checks  from  the  variety  of  causes  which  affect  all 
prosperity,  it  will  probably  be  some  years  before  the 
mfluencc  of  this  revolution  in  opinion  shall  entirely 
cease ;  after  which  period,  the  growth  of  the  city 
must  be  more  regular,  though  always  in  proportion 
to  the  infant  vigour  of  the  whole  country. 


♦  It  ie  supposed  to  contain  about  200,000  at  the  present  moment. 


ESTIMATE    OF    TUTURE    SIZE. 


ent  moment 


125 


h  is  a  curious  calculation,  and  one  in  which  ^he 

tne  importauce  of  this  place  at  no  very  distant  dav 
Lth.™K  ?'^'"'f^=^«'"<"-t''e  last  thiityfve  years 

at  first  JZl        ^™'J'g'»"s  as  this  estimate  may 

ienorant  ivrif  -^w  '*^"=''  y»"  ^'■«  ""ost  probably 
WsTtL'!^  '*'?"'''"§  the  buoyant  character  of 
fhl  ^.„  «  prosperity,  and  the  well-known  fact  that 
the  growth  of  towns  is  by  no  means  subiert  to  til 
.ame  general  laws  as  tha^  of  countries!  were  ft  ^t 
for  one  circumstance,  I  should  scarce^  presume  to 
hazard  a  calculation  which  wears  the  air  ofeZyl 

fnother^fift'  ""''^  """'""*•  ^'"^«'  V  merely  adT.^ 
another  fifteen  jrears,  you  have  the  largest  town  if 

.^  PO  nt  oTfaTt  '■'  T"*^  r^  ^°"'  adE  But! 
gress  of  thilf 'i'"tK-*^^'  *"  ^"^P  P»^«  ™*  the  pro- 
fi,f„    1-1     xi"^  '?  **"'  extraordinary  country  some 

travagance  of  anticipation  becomes  absolutely  neces- 
sarj.  A  though  the  ideas  of  my  companion  Z. 
::.r"ab]y  regulated  by  an  erten^iye  aCartanc^ 

TrtledUtT  ''r"P''^'^  '  '=°"fe-  I  2aye  bee* 
tee  Irals  of  fh"*"*  S'a^ity  with  which  he  some" 
times  speaks  of  the  power  of  the  Uniterl  Stat,.,, 
no  as  an  eyent  to  affe'ct  the  fortunes  of  future  a^s' 
but  as  a  thing  that  would  be  operatiye  in  the  timfof 
our  own  children,  dear  Baron,  Ld  not  our  ^oSfcal 
habits  left  us  without  the  hope  of  living  in  those 
who  come  after  us.   But  when  he  paused  !hs  morn 

the  place,  and'---*"-    "■""  "■™"^"  ""^  "«'art  of 


he 


r-       iVr~,  P<*'"ted  out  ihe  limits  of  the 
himself  had  known   " 


of 
ity,  as 


them  in  his  boyhood,  and  then 


M  2 


136 


."  ti 


■  <  f 


Vmi' 


Ml 


Ir    ^ 


IMMENSE    INTERIOR    TRADE. 


desired  me  to  look  along  the  fine  vista  in  front,  which 
r  knew  was  supported  by  vast  masses  of  buildinca 
on  each  of  ,ts  sides,  I  felt  the  force  of  the  reaso^ 

wil  «  ^"i*^'-  ^.''^^"g  opinions,  that  to  me  had  just 
Detore  seemed  visionary.  "^ 

The  circumstance  to  which  this  town  is  to  be  in- 
debted for  most  of  its  future  greatness,  is  the  im- 
mense  and  unprecedented  range  of  interior  which 
by  a  bold  and  noble  effort  of  policy,  has  recently 
been  made  tributary  to  its  interests.  By  examining 
the  map  of  the  United  States,  you  can  LsHy  makf 
yoursef  master  of  all  the  facts  necessary  to  a  peTct 
understanding  of  what  I  mean.  The  river  Hudson 
runs  northward  from  New- York  for  the  distance  of 
about  two  hundred  miles.     It  is  navigable  for  large 

i  3'  *'  7?i''t1:  '  ?*^^^  '^''  ^'  «^*"^t^d  near  t^: 
junction  of  the  Mohawk  with  the  former  river,  and 
at  a  distance  a  little  exceeding  one  hundred  andfiftv 
miles  from  this  city  Sixty  miles  further  north  brings 
one  to  the  head  of  Lake  Champlain,  which  separates 
Vermont  from  New-York,  and  communicatees  with 
R  /"n  ^^^'•^f^^e  V  means  of  a  navigable  outlet. 
By  following  the  route  of  the  Mohawk  westward, 
you  pass  directly  through  the  heart  of  this  flourishing 
state,  until  you  reach  a  place  called  Rome,  whence 

ir!r"li'^/''  ^^^  ^"^  ""''  ^^""^  to  be  perfectly 

practicable  for  water  communication.  Once  in  Lake 

Lrie,  It  IS  possible  to  extend  a  domestic  trade,  by 

means  of  those  little  inland,  fresh-water  seas,  through 

a  fertile  and  rapidly  growing  country,  for  a  distance 

of  near  or  quite  fifteen  hundred  miles  further      As 

i^tr.Zflt  "2J.^"^^§*''. Mature  has  placed  the'head 

Z^      r  i^^i  ^'''''!}PP}  so  near  the  navigable  tribu- 

S.^'r/n^'K-'^'"'-  ^''^'^."'  ^"P^"^'''  ^"^  Erie,  that 

cZlLTy''"^  "^'-ir^'^  ^?  predicting  that  artificial 

commumcation  will  soon  bring  them  into  absolute 

coniacr.  ~  -- 


5    ''I  'ifl 


MR.   CLINTON— DdEAT   CANALS.  I57 

II  «  i  matter  of  dispute  with  whom  the  bold  idea 
of  connectmg  the  wate«  of  the  lakes  with  thoself 
the  Hudson  originated.  The  fact  will  probaby  never 
be  known,  smce  the  thoughts  of  one  may  have  been 
quickened  by  those  of  another,  the  specuSns^ 
each  successor  enlarging  on  th^se  of  tim  who" 
before,  until  the  plaint  of  some  Indian  that  natureTd 
tZ  "  Tl"^  *"  ^''  <=''"»«  <■"""  tl>e  Mohawk  into 
totZ^V'^T  ^""^"'^  l!'^  probably  given  birth 

«„.  ,  S  *!'  ^°' '",.'  S-^e'-nn'ent  so  particularly  cau- 
Itlclll^    expenditures,  has  dared  to  stake  his  po- 

teldni      MrTT  f^  'r-''  "^ *e  hazardous  under- 
taking.    Mr.  Clinton,  the  present  Governor  of  this 
State,  ,s  the  only  highly  responsible  political  man  who 
can  justly  lay  cla  m  to  be  the  parent  of  the  prokcl 
Jor  many  years,  I  am  told,  he  was  persecuted  as  a 
visionary  projector,  and  it  was  clear  that  his  down* 
fall  was  to  be  the  penalty  of  failure;  though  now  St 
success  IS  cerlam,  or  rather  realized,  the?e  are  hZ- 
dreds  ready  to  depreciate  his  merits,  and  n^a  few 
willing  to  fhare  in  all  his  honours.    But  these  are  nl 
more  than  the  detractions  which  are  knot^  eve^ 
where  to  sully  the  brightness  of  a  new  reputatioZ 
r,me  will  remove  them  all,  since  posteritv  nev"; 

V  cl  "i-'t"  "^  "t  '■J*"'-*'*  *^'  Portion  'of  fame 
whith  i»  temporarily  abstracted  by  the  envy  or  the 
hostility  of  contemporaries.  "  ^ 

The  plan  has  been  to  reject  the  use  of  all  the 
nvers.  except  as  feeders,  and  to  make  two  canals 
ZlZ  ^^-  ^''l'  Champlain,  and  the  otherXm 

ofttm  I  "1:  "'*'f  i  T/^  ">  '"^e'  »t  tlie  junction 
of  the  Motawk  and  the  Hudson,  whence  they  are  to 
proceed  to  Albany,  and  issue  into  the  latter  river. 

lln^l,  f  .u"*^  *i^'*  .^""^'^  ''  '''«'"*  s«ty  -niles  in 
iength,  and  the  other  <^h»-'»*»  Vi,^r^A^^A j  ck..      mi 


123 


A   CASE. 


/■  i 


NJ 


Ml    , 


work  was  commenced  in  the  year  1817,  and  is  already 
nearly  completed.* 

Really,  reflection  on  this  subject  is  likely  to  de- 
range  the  ideas  of  the  gravest  man.     Imagine,  for 
mstance,  tliat  Africa  were  a  populous  and  civihzed 
region ;  that  Spain  were  peopled  by  an  active  and 
enlightened  population;  that  their  habits  were  highly 
commercial ;  and  then  assume  that  Gibraltar  was  not 
only  one  oC  the  most  noble,  convenient  and  safe  ha 
yens  of  the  world,  but  that,  from  its  central  position. 
It  had  secured  an  ascendancy  in  European  trade 
Remove  all  serious  rivals  which  chance  or  industry 
had  raised  m  the  other  parts  of  Europe,  to  the  pros- 
perity  of  this  unnvall^d  mart,  placing  it  already  Yore, 
most  among  the  cities  of  our  hemisphere.     Then, 
suppose  the  Mediterranean,  with  all  its  tributaries,  a 
narrow  convenient  river,  having  direct  communica- 
tion with  vast  lakes,  whose  banks  were  peopled  by 
men  of  similar  educations  and  opinions,  wants  and 
wishes,  governed  by  the  same  policy,  and  subject  to 
the  same  general  laws,  and  I  commit  you  to  your 

Wi^"^"^*''^*''^-^  r""^''  *^  ^^"^>^  ^l^^t  ^he  place 
would  become  in  the  space  of  a  century. 

HJffi     u  *.     !  '''^^'  unavoidably  before  the  eye,  it  is 

th^^^    T     "^''"""^  *^/^"  '''^^'  '^^^^y  «^  existing 
things.    I  can  now  easily  understand  the  perspectivl 

f  «f  ""^"^K^"  character.    It  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
destroy  thought,  to  repress  it.    I  fear  we  owe  a  good 


ceLlurih.^^  If  r''  ""^  '*"^y  ^"^"^'^^'  b"t  is  so  eminently  sue 

after  payinfftfieiltireV„„f^  ^"'^"^l  '°»™e  ^  '"go  «urplu«, 
lion,  ."nd"  :f  fhLgtrreTal?:  feX,'""''"'"' ''" '"  °""'^»'=- 


HOUSES-THEIR  MODERN-  CON-STRUCTION.         1  29 

th{  brief  reJspectt  " '3ile"'it':b' W 

earth,  and  thaHoo,  mo^fprobrbi'tfr^S?'  /  *" 
sio„as  to  th^r  futin,  fe'te'^tft  ^ototten'"  *""■ 

In  construction,  New-York  embraces  every  variety 
of  house,  betvireen  that  of  the  seronH  r,t7  r  rl 
town-residence,  and  those  tempo^'r^tooden  tf 
nents  that  are  seen  in  the  skirts  of  mosTtee  c  tiet 

hi"  fiuV"""^  '"'^''^«''  that  those  ateo  ufelf  m^T 
able,  filthy  abodes  which  are  often  seen    n  EZne 
abound  here.     Tht  houses  of  the  poo,  Are  norindeed 
lame,  hke  those  in  which  families  on  the  cont^nenft^ 
piled  on  one  another  for  six  or  seven  stories  b^tthe^ 
ammrely  old  and  tottering;  for  the  growth  of  th^ 
place  which,  bv  its  insular  situation,  is  cTnfined  to 
one  direction,  forces  them  out  of  existence  hel™ 
they  have  liad  time  to  decay      I  havl  W^  f  .5       ! 
I  think  it  probable,  that  t£e  are'^t'^fi  "  hired 
buildings  in  New-York,  that  c»n  a"°1  TlJ^'^T^^ 
than  the  peace  of  '83.     A  few"old"Dut"ch  dweS 
tet  remain,  and  can  ea,sily  be  distinguishedTy  S 


'4 


i 


130 


PECULIARITY  OF  AFPEARAK(?E. 


little  bricks,  their  gables  to  the  street,  and  those  steps 
on  their  battlement  walls,  which  your  countrymen  are 
said  to  have  invented,  in  order  to  ascend  to  regulate 
the  iron  weathercocks  at  every  variation  of  the  tickle 
winds. 

Although  poverty  has  no  permanent  abode,  ye< 
New- York  has  its  distinct  quarters.  I  think  they  arc 
sufficiently  known  and  understood.  Commerce  is 
gradually  taking  possession  of  the  whole  of  the  lowei 
extremity  of  the  island,  though  the  bay,  the  battery, 
and  the  charming  Broadway,  still  cause  many  of  the 
affluent  to  depart  with  reluctance.  The  fashion  of 
the  place  is  gradually  collecting  on  the  highest  and 
healthiest  point  of  land,  where  its  votaries  may  be 
equally  removed  from  the  bustle  of  the  two  rivers 
(for  the  strait  is  strangely  enough  called  a  river), 
while  other  portions  are  devoted  to  the  labouring 
classes,  manufacturers,  and  the  thousand  pursuits  of  a 
aeaport. 

In  outward  appearance.  New- York,  but  for  two 
things,  would  resemble  a  part  of  London  that  should 
include  fair  proportions  of  Westminster  (without  the 
great  houses  and  recent  improvements),  the  city,  and 
Wapping.  The  points  of  difference  are  owing  to  the 
fact  that,  probably  witliout  an  exception,  the  exterior 
of  all  the  houses  are  painted,  and  that  there  is  scarce 
a  street  in  the  place  which  is  not  more  or  less  lined 
v/ith  trees.  The  former  fashion,  unquestionably  de- 
rived from  your  countrymen,  gives  the  town  a  lively 
and  cheerful  air,  for  which  I  was  a  long  time  puzzled 
to  account.  At  first  I  imputed  it  to  the  brightness  of 
the  atmosphere,  which  differs  but  little  from  that  of 
Italy  ;  and  then  I  thought  it  might  be  owing  to  the 
general  animation  and  life  that  pervaded  all  the  prin- 
cipal streets.  Cadwallader  explained  the  causes,  and 
added,  that  the  custom  was  nearly  peculiar  (with  the 
exception  of  wooden  buildings)  to  the  towns  in  the 
ancient  colony  of  the  United  Provinces.     The  com 


I  those  steps 
iitrymen  are 
I  to  regulate 
[>f  the  fickle 

abode,  yet 
ink  they  arc 
ammerce  is 
if  the  lowei 
the  battery, 
nany  of  the 
;  fashion  of 
highest  and 
ies  may  be 

two  rivers 
id  a  river), 
e  labouring 
pursuits  of  a 

>ut  for  two 
that  should 
without  the 
he  city,  and 
►wing  to  the 
the  exterior 
re  is  scarce 
r  less  lined 
tionably  de- 
wn  a  lively 
me  puzzled 
rightness  of 
rom  that  of 
wing  to  the 
all  the  prin- 
causes,  and 
ir  (with  the 
owns  in  the 
The  com 


PUBLIC  BUILDINGS CITY    HALL. 


m 


mon  practice  is  to  deepen  the  colour  of  the  bricks  by  a 
red  paint,  and  then  to  interline  them  with  white  •  a 
fashion,  that  scarcely  alters  their  original  appearance 
except  by  imparting  a  neatness  and  freshness  that  are 
exceedingly  pleasant.  But,  in  many  instances,  1  saw 
dwellings  of  a  lively  cream  colour;  and  there  are  also 
severa  varieties  of  stone  that  seem  to  be  getting  much 
m  use  latterly.  ^ 

The  principal  edifice  is  the  City  Hall,  a  building  in 
which  the  courts  are  held,  the  city  authorities  assem- 
ble and  the  public  offices  arc  kept.     This  building  is 
oddly  enough  composed  of  two  sorts  of  stone,  which 
impairs  its  simplicity,  and  gives  it  a  patched  and  party- 
coloured  appearance.     Neither  is  its  facade  in  good 
taste,  being  too  much  in  detail,  a  fault  the  ancients 
were  not  fond  of  committing.    Notwithstanding  these 
glaring  defects,  by  aid  of  its  material,  a  clear  white 
marble,  and  the  admirable   atmosphere,  it  at  first 
strikes  one  more  agreeably  than  many  a  better  edifice 
Its  rear  is  of  a  deep  red,  dullish  freestone,  and  in  a  far 
better  taste.     It  is  not  unlike  the  facade  of  the  Hotel 
des  Monnaies  at  Paris  ;  though  not  quite  so  kime 
more  wrought,  and  I  think  something  handsomer.      * 
The  moment  the  rear  of  the  City  Hall  was  feeen,  I 
was  struck  with  an  impression  of  the  magnificent 
effect  which  might  be  produced  by  the  use  of  its 
material  in  Gothic  architecture.  It  seems  to  me  to  be 
the  precise  colour  that  good  taste  would  select  for  the 
style,  and  the  stone  possesses  the  advantage  of  being 
easily  worked,  and  is  far  less  fragile  than  the  common 
building  materials  of  the  vicinity  of  Paris.    While  the 
modern  Gothic  is   much   condemned,   every    body 
appears  willing  to  admit  that  it  is  the  most  imposing 
style  for  churches.     I  can  see  no  reason  why  that 
which  every  body  likes  should  not  be  done;  and 
„.,,.,„.„  ^-,  casici  luuii  lu  uiiHL  inose  nornoie  images 
and  excrescences  which  we  should  not  tolerate  in 
the  finest  cathedrals  of  Europe,  if  they  did  not  fur- 


139 


LIBKRALITY  Or  RELIGIOUS  SECTS. 


m    ii  Mi 


il  - 


I        is  ■ 


nish  unequivocal  evidences  of  tlie  humours  of  the  ace 
in  which  they  were  carved. 

New- York  is  rich  in  churches,  if  number  alone  be 
considered.  I  saw  more  than  a  dozen  in  the  process 
of  construction,  and  there  is  scarce  a  street  of  any 
inagnitude  that  does  not  possess  one.  There  must  be 
at  least  a  hundred,  and  there  may  be  many  more 
But  in  a  country  where  the  state  does  not  meddle 
with  religion,  one  is  not  to  look  for  much  splendour 
m  its  religious  edifices.  Private  munificence  cannot 
equal  the  expenditures  of  a  community.  Besides  I 
am  told  It  18  a  laudable  practice  of  the  rich  in  this 
country,  instead  of  concentrating  their  efforts  to  rear 
up  one  magnificent  monument  of  their  liberality,  to 
bestow  suftcient  to  meet  the  wants  of  a  particular 
parish  in  a  style  suited  to  its  character,  and  then  to 

flu  I.^'      .  ^°  ^^"^^  ^***^r  congregation  of  their 
aith  that  may  be  struggling  into  existence,  perhaps, 

L*«  f  rV^^?  °^  ^^^  ^^""^^>^-  I'^dee^'  instances 
are  said  to  be  frequent,  in  which  affluent  men  con- 
tribute cheerfully  and  liberally  to  assist  in  the  erec 
tion  of  churches  of  a  persuasion  different  from  their 
i^A  J^  ^'^  to  recollect  that  a  territory  large  as  a 
third  of  Europe,  has  to  be  furnished  with  places  of 

JpnJf.^^^  ^  5T'?*r  ^^^"^  ^^^^  not  exceed  that 
of  Prussia,  and  that  too  by  voluntary  contributions. 
In  estimating  wha  has  beer,  done  in  .Amerira  in  all 
things  ,t  IS  absolutely  necessary  to  do  justice,  and  for 
a  right  understanding  of  the  case,  to  remember  the 
time,  the  means,  and  the  amount  that  was  to  be  execut- 
ed. An  honest  consideration  of  these  material  points 
can  alone  show  the  true  character  of  the  coSntrv 
For  my  own  part,  when  I  reflect  on  the  extended 
division  of  the  inhabitants,  and  on  the  absolute  nect 

^Ir  M  T'^?  ""^  ^^^'l  ^^^^  *>^»»g  expended  in 
T/m  /^*lf  ^""^  ^ft^o^^  civilized  liiefl  am  astonish, 
ed  to  hnd  how  much  thev  have  d«ne  ^«  r«K«n:.k  -.^j 
improve  it      Under  this  view  of  tii;  "su . jS^lii^ugh 


i       rM' 


CHUnCHES— TASTE— nixlOION.  1,13 

certainly  under  no  other,  even  their  works  of  art  be- 
come  highly  respectable.    There  is  not  much  prete^- 
Mon  to  good  taste  ,„  a  great  majority  of  the7puMc 
edifices  nor  .s  there  much  more  ground  to  ciSm  it 
m  any  other  country,  so  far  as  modirn  architecture  s 
concerned.     Most  of  the  churches  in  New-York  are 
of  brick    and  constructed,  internally,  with  direct  re^ 
ference  to   he  comfort  of  the  congrL tions?  who  Z 
you  know,  m  most  Protestant  courttrils,  remain  whe^ 
they  once  enter  the  temple.    There  are,  how"rer 
some  churches  m  this  city  that  would  make  a  credit-' 
able  appearance  any  where  among  similar  modem 
constructions ,  but  it  is  in  the  number,  rathrS 
m  the  elegance  of  these  buildings,  that  the  Amerirans 

wi'"*"'"  *°  P"^^  themselves. 

Whatever  you  may  have  heard  concerning  neglect 
of  religion  on  this  side  of  the  water,  so  ffr^Se 
beteve  "{'^^^^T'^y  I  have  seen  is  concerned  dt 
s!  r     i!  'l**  '*"S"*S«  °^  malice  and  not  of  truth 

""ddllfif.     P*""  '°  '^^'^°''  '"  "^  northern  and 

S    w  ''  T"  '"IJ'  P'"''  °^  '•'^  «<"-"d  I  have  ever 

Milted.    Were  the  religion  of  turope  to  be  stripped 

of  its  externals  and  to  lose  th.t  defirence  wS  Ae 

influence  of  the  state  and  of  the  clei^y  produces 

m'^^llft  Tv  *''?/'"  "^  <'^i'«»<'ant,  in^^hL,  were 
man  left  to  himself,  or  subject  only  to  the  impulses 
01  public  opinion,  and  ,he  influence  of  voluntary  in- 
struchon,  as  here,  I  am  persuaded  it  would  be  four.d 
that  there  is  vastly  more.  There  is  much  cant,  and 
n  uch  pbuse  of  cant,  in  America,  just  as  elsewhese; 
but  1  have  been  m  numberless  churches  here-,  watched 
he  people  in  their  ingress  and  egress;  have  examined 
tlie  crowd  of  men  no  less  than  of  women,  that  followed 
thc-summons  of  the  parish  bell ;  and,  in  fine,  have 
studied  all  their  habits  on  those  points  whi<-h  tho  con- 
science maybe  supposed  to  influlnce,and,takinK  town 
-    intry  together,  I  should  no)  know  where  to  turn 


Vot.  I. 


N 


134 


APPARENT  ATTENTION  TO  RELldlON. 


to  find  a  population  more  uniform  in  their  devotions, 
more  guarded  in  their  discourse,  or  more  consistent 
in  all  their  practices.  No  stronger  proof  can  be  given 
of  the  tone  of  the  country  in  respect  to  religion  than 
the  fact,  that  men  who  vi^ish  to  stand  well  in  popular 
favour  are  compelled  to  feign  it  at  least;  public 
opinion  producing,  in  this  way,  a  far  more  manifest 
effect  here  than  does  state  policy  in  our  hemisphere. 
T^ese  remarks  are  of  course  only  made  in  reference 
to  what  I  have  yet  seen,  but  they  may  serve  as  a 
standard  to  compare  by,  when  we  shall  come  to 
speak  of  the  other  portions  of  the  republic. 

My  paper  is  exhausted,  and  I  shall  refer  you  to 
the  colonel,  whom  I  know  you  are  to  meet  at  Pa- 
lermo, for  a  continuation  of  the  subject  on  some  of 
those  branches  in  which  his  nicer  tact  may  find 
peculiar  sources  of  interest. — Adieu. 


TO  THE  COUNT  JULES  DE  BETHIJZY, 

COLONEL  EN  HETRAITE  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  GUARD. 


New-York, 


A  MAN  who  has  revelled  so  often  on  the  delicacies 
of  Very  and  Robert ;  who  has  so  long  flourished  with 
eclat  in  the  saloons  of  the  modern  queen  of  cities , 
who  has  sickened  his  taste  under  the  arches  of  the 
Coliseum,  or  on  the  heights  of  the  Acropolis,  and  who 
must  have  often  cast  a  glance  at  that  jewel  of  archi- 
tecture, the  Bourse  of  Paris,  as  he  has  hurried  into 
Its  dm  to  learn  the  fate  of  his  last  investment  in  the 
three  per  cents  of  M.  de  Villele,  mav  Dossiblv  turn 
with  disdain  from  a  description  of'  tlie  inartificial 
beauties  of  nature,  a  republican  drawing-room,  or  a 


f      T 


'-room,  or  a 


POPULATION    OF    NEW-YORK.  135 

mall  in  a  commercial  town  of  North  America.     But 
you  will  remember  how  often  I  have  passed  the  bridge 
of  Lodi  ,n  your  company,  (methinks  1  hear  the  whrz- 
z.ng  of  the  bullets  now !)  how  patiently  I  have  listen- 
ed to  your  sonnete  on  the  mien  and  mind  of  Sophie 
and  how  meekly  I  have  seen  you  discussing  theXg: 
ments  of  ^  pati  de  foie  gras,  witliout  so  much  as 
begrudging  you  a  mouthful  of  the  unctuous  moRel 
though  It  were  even  the  last     Presuming  Ztt 
often  tned,  and  seemingly  inexhauotible  patience  I 
shall  proceed  to  trespass  on  your  more  elevated  pur- 
uits  in  the  shape  of  one  of  my  desultory  accounteof 

ihl!^7  T  °rt  .t"  y^U'  ■"'hat  consideration  for 
the  national  pnde  of  Kemperfelt  may  have  suppress^ 
m  my  letters  to  him,  th^  very  little  of  uf  K« 

the  New-Netherlands.     One  hears  certain  sonorous 
names  in    he  streets  to  remind  him  of  the  oriSnal 
colony,  ,t  IS  true  but  with  these  rare  memorial?  of 
the  tact,  and  a  few  angular,  sidelong  edifices,  that 
resemble  broken  fragments  of  prismatic  ice,  there  is 
no  otiier  passing  evidence  of  its  former  existence    f 
liave  elsewliere  said  that  the  city  of  New-York  i, 
composed  of  inhabitants  from  all  the  countaCof 
Christendom.     Beyond  a  doubt,  a  very  lam"  maior- 
^ty   perhaps  nine-tenths,  are  natives  of  tfie  Unfted 
States ;  but  it  ,s  not  probable  that  one-third  who    ve 
here  first  saw  the  light  on  the  island  of  Manhattan 
tis  computed  that  one  in  three  are  either  natves 
of  New-Eng  and    or  are  descendants  of  those  who 
have  emigrated  from  that  portion  of  the  counTry 
To  these  must  be  added  tHe  successors  of  the  Dutch 
f:.  ,^"t''fc.*1^. "'--»''.%  Scotch  and  the  1^11; 
ih^n      l'^""  """  "■'^'^^  '"  ""eir  proper  persons  from 
tt  T^TT  ^T^'^i^^  *««<=  several  nations.   T 
the  midst  of  such  a  melange  of  customs  and  people" 


Mm 
§4 


136 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  YANKEES MARKETS. 


It 


It  IS  exceedingly  difficult  to  extract  any  thing  like  a 
definite  general  character.  Perhaps  there  is  none 
that  can  be  given,  without  great  allowance,  to  this 
community.  Though  somewhat  softened,  a  good 
deal  of  that  which  is  distinctive  between  the  puritans 
and  their  brethren  of  the  other  States,  is  said  to  con- 
tinue to  exist  for  a  long  period  after  their  emigration. 
As  the  former  generally  go  to  those  points  where 
they  are  tempted  by  interest,  in  great  numbers,  it  is 
probable  that  they  communicate  quite  as  much,  or, 
considering  their  active  habits,  perhaps  more,  of 
character,  than  they  receive.  With  these  warnings, 
to  take  all  I  say  with  due  allowance,  I  shall  proceed 
to  my  task. 

To  commence  ab  origine,  I  shall  speak  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  nature,  which,  if  endowed  with  suitable  ca- 
pabilities, rarely  fail  of  favour  in  your  eyes.    I  know 
no  spot  of  the  habitable  world  to  which  the  culinary 
sceptre  is  so  likely  to  be  transferred,  when  the  art 
shall  begin  to  dechne  in  your  own  renowned  capital 
as  this  city.    It  is  difficult  to  name  fish,  fowl,  or  beast 
that  is  not,  either  in  its  proper  pereon,  or  in  some 
species  nearly  allied  to  it,  to  be  obtained  in  the  mar- 
kets of  New- York.    The  exceptions  that  do  certainly 
occur,  are  more  than  balanced  by  the  animals  that 
are  pecuhar  to  the  country.     Of  fish  alone,  a  gentle- 
man here,  of  a  spirit  not  uncongenial  to  your  own, 
has  named  between  seventy  and  eighty  varieties,  all 
of  which  are  edible  ;  most  of  which  are  excellent ; 
and  some  of  which  it  would  be  the  pride  of  my  heart 
to  see  placed  within  the  control  of  your  scientific 
skill.    Of  fowls  there  is  a  rare  and  admirable  collec- 
tion !  I  have  had  a  fist  nearly,  or  quite  as  long  as  the 
catalogue  of  fishes  placed  before  me,  and  it  would  do 
your  digestive  powers  good  to  hear  some  of  the  seiii- 
barbarous  epicures  of  this  provincial  town  expati  \te 
on  the  merits  of  grouse,  canvas-backs,  brants,  plover, 
wild  turkeys,  and  all  the  et  cateras  of  the  collection 


o 


rowt,   GAME,   mtllTS,   ETC.         ,  137 

In  respect  to  the  more  v.-!gar  products  of  regular 
agncu  ture  I  shall  say  notliinlT  They  are  to  beTund 
hei^  as  elsewhere,  with  the  exception,  that  as  a 
great  deal  „  still  left  to  nature,  perfection  and  variety 
m  vegetables  is  not  as  much  attended  to  as  in  tte  vT 
cmity  of  older  and  larger  places.  But  of  the  ea^e  I 
may  speak  w,th  confidence ;  for,  little  as  I  hafe  vet 
seen  of  it  at  this  particular  season,  one  mouthful  is 
sufficient  to  prove  «iat  there  is  a  difference  bSween 

stiated  by  the  simple  fact  that  one  sleeps  on  a  rDost 
and  the  other  in  a  tree.  That  delicious,  wUd,  and 
peculiar  flavour,  that  we  learned  to  priW  on  U,e 
frontiei:s  of  Poland,  and  in.  the  woods  ofWrway  ex! 

tbtV^\r     'f  '"        ■  '^"=P«°'Je"t  «  the  animal  on 
onit^H  Zn   '^/•.'i:'."'^'"'*''*  *«  canvas-back 
vn  u  ^         .'  T'"?''' '"  "^  ^y^^  °^  M.  de  Buffon, 
would  be  precisely  the  same  bird  as  that  of  the  Che" 
apeake,  is  m  truth  endowed  with  another  nature:  tlu 
's  to  say,  ,n  all  those  useful  purposes  for  which  a 

'^T^nLfar'  ^7^]!.^  =?  ^°"'"  ^'^^^^'^-  But  these 
are  still  matters  of  faith  with  me,  though  the  delicacv 

of  the  plover  the  black-tish,  the  sbfepVhead  the 
ot7dT^'  ^"^  numberless  other  delightful  inhabitente 
of  these  regions,  disposes  me  to  believe  all  I  hear. 

Tl,» Of  ,•  '^',.?*"  ',r*''  "'■  "^y  """i  knowledge. 
The  situation  of  New-York  is  singularly  felicitous  in 
his  respect.  In  consequence  of  the  great  range  of 
the  thermometer,  there  is  scarce  a  fruit  which  wHl 
endure  the  frost  that  is  not  found  in  a  state  nearly 
approaching  to  perfection.     Indeed,  either  owbig  to 

sun  or  to  both,  there  is  an  extraordinary  flavour  im- 

•      , .  -s-..-^^.   it-aovijs  uii  ine  suDieci 

L   LT'".T'  ^^'^"'""^S'  ^»^at  I  believe  to  be  true, 
that  most  of  the  meats,  no  less  than  the  fruits,  possess  - 

N  2 


iSja 


138    INFLUENCE  OF  THE  SUN  ON  THE  PLANT3, 

this  peculiar  richness  and  delicacy  of  taste.  He  says, 
that  in  Europe  the  value  of  land  is  commonly  so  great, 
that  the  cattle  are  obliged  to  crop  all  the  herbage, 
whereas,  in  Amcica,  the  animal  is  usually  allowed  to 
make  its  choice,  and  that,  too,  often  amid  such  a  de- 
licious odour  of  the  white  or  natural  clover  of  the 
country,  as  might  cause  3ven  a  miserable  victim  of 
the  anger  of  Djezzar  Pacha  momentarily  to  forget  his 
nasal  dilapidation.  I  wish  now  to  be  understood  as 
speaking  literally,  and  not  in  those  terms  of  exaggera- 
tion which  are  perhaps  appropriate  to  the  glories  of 
a  Well-ordered  banquet.  I  scarce  remember  any  fra- 
grance equal  to  that  I  have  scented  in  the  midst  of  a 
field  of  this  clover.  My  companion  tells  me  he  was 
first  made  sensible  of  this  peculiarity  in  the  herbage 
of  his  native  country,  by  remarking  how  comparatively 
devoid  of  scent  was  a  field  of  buckwheat,  by  the  side 
of  which  he  was  once  walking  in  the  centre  of  France. 
Now,  buckwheat  in  this  climate  is  a  plant  that  exhales 
a  delicious  odour  that  is  often'  to  be  scented  at  the 
distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mjle.  In  short,  so  far  as 
mjr  own  observation  has  extended,  the  sun  imparts  a 
flavour  to  every  grass,  plant,  or  fruit  here,  that  must 
be  tasted,  and  tasted  with  discrimination,  in  order  to  be 
appreciated.  Yet  man  has  done  but  little  to  improve 
these  inestimable  advantages.  There  is  no  extraordi- 
nary show  of  fruits  in  the  public  market-places. 
Peaches,  cherries,  melons,  and  a  few  others  of  the 
common  sorts,  it  is  true,  abound ;  but  the  Americans 
appear  not  to  be  disposed  to  make  much  sacrifice  of 
time,  or  money,  to  the  cuU'vation  of  the  rarer  sorts. 
I  cannot  close  this  subject,  however,  without  mak- 
ing one  remark  on  the  nature  of  a  peculiar  difference 
that  I  have  noticed  between  the  fruits  of  this  country, 
and  those  of  your  own  capital  in  particular.  A 
French  peach  is  juicy,  and,  when  you  first  bring  it  in 
contact  with  your  palate,  sweet,  but  it  leaves  behind 
it  a  cold,  watery,  and  almost  soui'  taste.  It  is  for  this 


J* "  I 


DELICAC^^  07   MELON'S  AND  PEACHES. 


1S9 


reason  SO  often  eaten  with  sugar.  An  American  is 
exceedingly  apt  to  laugh  if  he  sees  ripe  fruit  of  any 
sort  eaten  with  any  thing  sweet.  The  peaches  here 
leave  behind  a  warm,  rich,  and  deHcious  taste,  that 

^if^i  /  ^^^^  '^^  **^  *^^^^*s  to  that  which  you 
call  the  bouquet  of  a  glass  of  Romanee.  You  who 
as  a  Parisian,  say  so  much  for,  and  think  so  much  of! 
your  gout,  may  be  disposed  to  be  incredulous  w^hen 
1  tell  you  these  people  would  positively  reject  the 
best  melon  that  ever  appears  on  your  table.  There 
IS  a  httle  one  to  be  picked  up  in  the  markets  here 
lor  a  few  sous,  say  twelve  at  the  utmost,  that  exceeds 
any  thing,  of  its  kind,  that  I  have  ever  admitted  into 
the  sanctuary  of  my  mouth.  I  want  terms  to  describe 
It.  It  is  firm,  and  yet  tender;  juicy,  without  a  particle 

u,  *^^i  '  ''^^^^^^  ^^^*^  ^^  ^"^^^'  ^^^  of  an  incom- 
parable flavour  and  sweetness.     Its  equal  fcan  only 
be  found  m  the  Crimea,  or  the  adjacent  parts  of 
i  urkey,  and  perhaps  of  Persia.     The  Americans 
admit  that  it  is  the  only  melon  that  can  appear  on  the 
table  of  one  who  understands  the  difference  between 
eating  and  tasting,  and  to  me  it  seems  to  have  been 
especially  created  for  an  epicure.     In  the  gardens  of 
the  gentlemen  you  find  not  only  a  greater  variety, 
out,  a    few   common  fruits  excepted,  a  far  better 
quality  than  in  theinarkets.     I  have  tasted  a  great 
many  old  acquaintances,  transplanted  from  the  eastern 
to  the  western  hemisphere,  and  I  declare  I  do  no+ 
remember  one  vliat  has  not  been  benefited  by  the 
change,  m  flavour,  though  not  always  in  appearance. 
It  IS  a  standing  joke  of  Cadwallader  to  say  his  coun- 
trynien  consult  the  substance  much  more  than  the 
shadow,  when  I  venture  to  qualify  my  praises  by 
some  remark  on  externals.     I  remember,  however, 
one  day  he  effectually  silenced  my  criticism,  by  lead- 
mg  me  to  a  neach-tree  that  dtpw  in  <l>o  cKo,i«  ^r  „„ 
adjacent  building.     The  fruit  was  beautiful,  exceed- 
ingly large,  and  without  a  blemish.     Culling  one  of 


140 


PECULIARITY  OF  CLIMATE,  ArPLES,  ETC. 


the  finest,  I  bit  it,  and  involuntarily  rejected  what  I 
had  so  incautiously  admitted  to  my  mouth.     Then 
placing  a  peach  which  had  grown  in  the  open  air,  in 
my  hands,  my  companion  pointed  significantly  to  the 
sun,  and  walked  on,  leaving  me  to  reflect  on  an  ar- 
gument that  was  more  potent  than  a  thousand  words. 
And  yet  I  have  met,  during  my  short  residence  in 
America,  Europeans  who  have  affected  to  rail  at,  or 
even  to  deny  the  existence  of  her  fruits!  I  have  always 
wished,  on  such  occasions,  that  I  could  transport  the 
products  of  one  of  the  laboured  gardens  of  our  hemi- 
sphere into  this,  and  set  them  to  culling  without  a 
knowledge  of  the  transfer.     My  life  on  it,  their  own 
palates  would  contradict  their  assertions  in  the  first 
five  minutes. 

Indeed,  one  has  only  to  remember  that  the  United 
States  extend  from  forty-five  to  twenty-five  degrees 
of  latitude,  to  see  that  Nature  has  placed  their  do- 
minions in  the  very  centre  of  her  most  favoured  re- 
gions. There  is,  too,  a  peculiarity  of  climate  here, 
vi^hich  is  unknown  to  similar  parallels  of  latitude  in 
Europe.  The  apple  and  the  peach  are  found  in  per- 
fection, side  by  side ;  and  in  such  a  perfection  too,  as, 
believe  me,  dear  colonel,  you  must  seek  for  the  equal 
of  the  one  in  Italy,  and  that  of  the  other,  I  scarcely 
know  where. 

Owing  to  the  facihty  and  constancy  of  intercourse 
with  the  Southern  States,  the  fruits  of  the  tropics  are 
found  here,  not  quite  as  fresh,  certainly,  as  when  first 
culled  from  the  plant  itself,  but  \vell  flavoured,  and 
m  absolute  contact  with  the  products  of  the  temperate 
zones.  Pine-apples,  large,  rich,  golden,  and  good, 
are  sold  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  sous ;  delicious 
oranges  are  hawked  in  the  streets  much  cheaper  than 
a  tolerable  apple  can  be  bought  in  the  shops  of  Paris, 
and  bannanas,  yams,  water-melons,  &c.,  are  as  com- 
mon as  need  be  in  the  markets.  It  is  this  extraor- 
dinary combination  of  the  effects  of  different  cHmates, 


.  J 


STYLE  or  LIVING ENGLISH  COMFORT.  141 

the  union  of  heat  and  cold,  and  of  commercial  facil- 
ities, added  to  the  rare  bounties  of  Nature,  that  incline 
me  to  think  the  empire  of  gastronomy  will,  sooner  or 
later,  be  transferred  to  this  spot.  At  present  it  must 
be  confessed  that  the  science  is  lamentably  defective 
and,  after  all,  perhaps,  it  is  in  those  places  where 
Nature  has  been  most  liberal  that  man  is  apt  to  con- 
tent himself,  without  exerting  those  efforts  of  his  own 
without  which  no  perfect  enjoyment  in  any  branch 
ol  human  indulgence  can  exist. 

Passing  from  the  means  of  gratification  possessed 
by  these  people,  we  will  turn  our  attention,  for  a 
moment,  to  the  manner  in  which  they  are  improved 
The  style  of  living  of  all  the  Americans,  in   the 
r^orthern  States,  is  essentially  English.     As  might 
be  expected  in  a  country  where  labour  is  compara- 
tively  high,  and  the  fortunes,  though  great,  still  not 
olten  so  princely  as  in  the  mother  country,  the  upper 
classes  live  m  a  more  simple  form,  wanting  some  of 
the  most  refined  improvements  of  high  English  life 
and  yet  indulging,  under  favour  of  their  climate,  sit- 
uation and  great  commercial  freedom,  in  perhaps  a 
greater  combination  of  luxury  and  comfort  than  any 
other  people  of  the  world.     In  respect  of  comfort 
Itself,  there  is  scarce  any  known  in  England,  that  is 
not  to  be  found  here ;  the  point  of  difference  is  in  its 
requency.     You  are,  therefore,  to  deduct  rather  in 
the  amount  of  English  comfort,  than  in  its  quality,- 
and  you  are  not  to  descend  far  below  the  refinements 
at  all,  since  all  the  substantial  of  that  comfort  which 
makes  England  so  remarkable  in  Europe,  are  to  be 
lound  equally  in  America.     There  are  points,  per- 
haps, even  in  the  latter,  in  which  the  Englishman 
(rarely  very  much  disposed  to  complacency)  would 
complain  m  America;  and  there  are,  certainly,  others. 
"..  rr.^^,,  tiic  .iiiit;iu;an  (^who  na^  a  cast  oi  the  fam- 
ily likeness)  would  boldly  vent  his  spleen  in  England 
1  am  of  opinion  the  two  nations  might  benefit  a  good 


142 


COXDITIOX  OF  PEOPLE. 


I '3  . 


I  i 


deal  by  a  critical  examination  of  each  other.  Indeed, 
I  think  the  American  has,  and  does,  daily  profit  by 
his  observation,  though  1  scarce  know  whether  his 
kinsman  is  yet  disposed  to  admit  that  he  can  learn 
by  the  study  of  a  people  so  new,  so  remote,  and  so 
little  known,  as  those  of  the  United  States. 

After  you  descend  below  the  middle  classes  in  so- 
ciety, there  is  no  comparison  to  be  drawn  between 
the  condition  of  the  American  and  that  of  the  native 
of  England,  or  of  any  other  place.  I  have  seen 
misery  here,  it  is  true,  and  filth,  and  squalid,  abject 
poverty,  always  in  the  cities,  however;  but  it  is 
rare ;  that  is,  rare  indeed  to  what  I  have  been  ac- 
customed to  see  in  Europe.  At  first,  I  confess  there 
was  a  feeling  of  disappointment  came  over  me  at 
seeing  it  at  all ;  but  reflection  convinced  me  of  the 
impossibility  of  literally  bringing  all  men  to  a  state 
in  which  they  might  profit  by  the  advantages  of  their 
condition.  Cadwallader,  also,  who  has  a  silent,  sig- 
nificant manner  of  conveying  truths,  has  undeceived 
me  more  than  once  when  I  have  been  on  the  very 
threshold  of  an  error.  I  remember  that  onp  day, 
while  I  stood  contemplating,  in  the  suburbs  of  this 
city,  a  scene  of  misery  that  one  might  not  have  ex- 
pected to  witness  out  of  Europe,  he  advanced  to  the 
»door  of  the  dreary  hovel  I  gazed  at,  and  asked  the  in- 
habitants how  long  they  had  resided  in  Americau  The 
answer  proved  that  he  had  not  deceived  hi^elf  as 
to  the  birth-place  of  its  luckless  tenants.  In  this 
manner,  in  more  than  a  dozen  instances,  he  has 
proved  that  his  own  country  has  not  given  birth  to 
the  vice  and  idleness  which  here  could  alone  entail 
such  want.  In  perhaps  as  many  more  instances  he 
has  passed  on,  shaking  his  head  at  my  request  that  he 
would  examine  the  causes,  admitting  frankly  that  he 
saw  the  subjects  were  natives.  It  is  astonishing  how 
accurate  his  eye  is  in  making  this  distinction.  I  do 
not  know  that  he  has  been  deceived  in  a  solitary  iu* 


ANECDOTE — NEATNESS.  I43 

Stance.  Where  misery  is  so  rare,  it  is  a  vast  deal 
to  admit,  that  perhaps  half  of  its  objects  are  the  vie 

Sbld.*'*""*  ''''""  ''^'^  *«'  "»"-  -hich  Itl 

exhTwion'of Zl'''"^  exceedingly  attractive  in  the 
exnibition  of  neatness  and  domestic  comfort  which 
one  sees  throughout  this  country.  I  think  the  brP- 
jancy  of  the  climate,  the  freshnL  of  the  pafnt,  and 

he  ch  r""  ThlT""  "^  *?  ""r'^'  contribute  to 
me  cnami.     I  here  is  a  species  of  second-rate  iren 
teel  houses,  that  abound  in  New-York,  into  whifh  I 
have  looked  when  nassintr  wifi,  *kt  T'     I    T         ' 
Th^„  u  passing,  with  the  utmost  pleasure 

They  have,  as  usual,  a  story  that  is  half  sunk  in  the 

a  ove  '%Z7  "^I"  '■?"".  ^"  area,  and  two  floo„ 
above.  The  tenants  of  these  buildings  are  chieflv 
merchants  or  professional  men,  in  modmte  cS 

^aT'^Y^u^r  'T.  °^  '"T  ^°°  '°  500  dXTa 
^  e  ...\,  •  .  ^"^  ***  n°  American,  who  is  at  all 
comfortable  in  life,  will  share  his  dwkling  with  a'J 

vi  d      Th.t  k"-i.-"  °™  ™°'"'  ^""l  Ws  own  little 

»  r  ■  ^^'.^  buildings  are  finished,  and  exceedindv 

well  finished  too,  to  the  attics;  c^ntainfng,  on  E 

his  carriage  repaired  in  a  vina^«  of  fiJo  •  ♦  •  °<^°^«,^°n  to  get 
found  him  railing  at  the  addition  nf«.A'"*^'3°'-  ^^  ^"^^^ 
of  intoxication  ^He  had  bet  f  °^k       ''^  Americans  to  the  vice 


144 


rURNITUUE    OF    HOUSES. 


:  S 


average,  six  rooms,  besides  oflices,  and  servants' 
apartments.  The  furniture  of  these  houses  is  often 
elegant,  and  always  neat.  Mahogany  abounds  here, 
and  is  commonly  used  for  all  the  principal  articles, 
and  very  frequently  for  door^,  railings  of  stairs,  ^:c. 
&c.  Indeed,  the  whole  world  contributes  to  their 
luxury.  French  clocks,  English  and  Brussels  car 
pets,  curtains  from  Lyons,  and  the  Indies,  alabaste. 
from  France  and  Italy,  marble  of  their  own,  and  from 
Italy,  and,  in  short,  every  ornament  below  the  rarest 
that  is  known  in  every  other  country  in  Christendom, 
and  frequently  out  of  it,  is  put  within  the  reach  of 
the  American  of  moderate  means,  by  the  facilities  of 
their  trade.  In  that  classical  taste  which  has  been  so 
happily  communicated  to  your  F  rench  artisans,  their 
own  are,  without  doubt,  miserably  deficient ;  but  they 
are  good  imitators,  and  there  is  no  scarcity  of  models. 
While,  in  consequence  of  want  of  taste  or  want  of 
wealth,  the  Americans  possess,  in  very  few  instances, 
any  one  of  the  articles  that  contribute  to  the  grace 
of  life  in  the  same  perfection  as  they  are  known  in 
some  one  other  country,  they  enjoy,  by  means  of  their 
unfettered  trade,  a  combination  of  the  same  species 
of  luxurie,s,  in  a  less  advanced  state,  that  is  found  no- 
where else.  They  often,  nay,  almost  always,  fail  in 
the  particular  excellence,  but  they  possess  an  aggce- 
gate  of  approximate  perfection  that  is  unrivalled, 
perhaps,  even  in  England ;  certainly  if  we  descend 
below  the  very  highest  classes  in  the  latter  country. 
But  there  are  hundreds,  I  believe  I  migLt  almost  say 
a  thousand,  houses  in  New- York  of  pretensions  alto- 
gether superior  to  those  just  named.  A  particular  de- 
scription of  one  belonging  to  a  friend  of  Cadwallader, 
by  whose  favour  I  was  permitted  to  examine  it,  may 
serve  to  give  you  an  idea  of  the  whole  of  its  class. 
The  proprietor  is  a  gentleman  of  the  first  society  of 
the  country,  and  of  what  is  here  called  an  easy  for- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  A   PRIVATE  RESIDENCE.         145 

rious  sun  that  seem   to  rfiJ^'  here  tZt  1'''  ""'  ^^"^ 
into  the  reoVbeTweel  sTxt^a^d  TefeKo"'  ^Th"'' 

oi  the  more  substantial  comforts  and  nf  fhl^    . 

Jnt'edtrr'^H  ^^'^i"-  Th«  balding  s^rb^^^r; 

painted  and  lined,  as  already  described  and  rLL  7i ' 
ornamented,  in  a  very  good  taste  wifh^  modestly 
cornices,  &c  &c  in  fhf  1  i  ^'  7**^  ^^P^'  ^^^^^^ 
countrv     tL  I.         •   ^^^^^  ^^^^  freestone  of  the 

below  the  surface  o"tL  gird  tnd  the  t^J  "'""'• 
compensate,  m  a  slight  dec^ree 


Vol.  I. 


O 


the  pain  of 


146 


NEATNESS,  II.'CON'VEN'IENCES,  ETC, 


■J  ,'  1 
I. 


u 


J  \ 


n 


I. '< 


mi 


If  + 


the  ascent,  (neither  of  us,  colonel,  is  as  young  now  as 
the  day  you  crossed  the  bridge  of  Lodi,)  by  their  ad- 
mirable neatness,  and  the  perfect  order  of  their  iron 
rails  and  j^littering  brass  ornaments.  The  entrance 
is  into  a  Ittle  vestibule,  which  may  be  some  twelve 
feet  long,  by  eight  in  width.  This  apartment  is  en- 
tirely unfurnished,  and  appears  only  constructed  to 
shelter  visiters  while  the  servant  is  approaching  to 
admit  them  through  the  inner  door.  The  general 
excellence  of  the  climate,  and,  perhaps,  the  customs 
of  the  country,  have,  as  yet,  prevented  the  Americans 
from  providing  a  proper  place  for  the  reception  of  the 
servants  of  their  guests:  they  rarely  wait,  unless 
during  the  short  calls,  and  then  it  is  always  in  the 
street.  As  visiters  are  never  announced,  and  as  but 
one  family  occupies  the  same  building,  there  is  little 
occasion,  unless  to  assist  in  unrobing,  for  a  servant  to 
attend  his  master,  or  mistress,  within  the  outer  door. 
From  the  vestibule  the  entrance  is  into  a  long,  nar- 
row, high,  and  handsome  corridor,  at  the  farther  ex- 
tremity of  which  are  the  principal  stairs.  This  cor- 
ridor, or  passage,  as  it  is  called  here,  is  carpeted, 
lighted  with  a  handsome  lamp,  has  a  table,  and  a  few 
chairs ;  and,  in  short,  is  just  as  unlike  a  French  cor- 
ridor as  any  thing  of  the  sort' can  very  well  be. 
From  this  passage  you  enter  the  rooms  on  the  first 
floor ;  you  ascend  to  the  upper,  and  descend  to  the 
lower  story,  and  you  have  egress  from  and  ingress  to 
the  house  by  its  front  and  rear.  The  first  floor  is  oc- 
cupied by  two  rooms  that  communicate  by  double 
doors.  These  apartments  are  of  nearly  equal  size, 
and,  subtracting  the  space  occupied  by  the  passage, 
and  two  little  china  closets,  that  partially  separate 
them,  they  cover  the  whole  area  of  the  house.  Each 
room  is  hghted  by  two  windows  ;  is  sufficiently  high; 
has  stuccoed  ceiling,  and  cornices  in  white ;  hangings 
of  light,  airy,  French  paper;  curtains  in  silk  and  in 
muslin;    mantel-pieces   of  carved   figures  in  white 


u 


DEFECTS DAD  TASTE. 


147 


marble   (Italian    in    manufacture,   I   should  think;) 
Brussels  carpets;    large  mirrors;   chairs,  sofas,  and 
tables,  m  mahogany;  chandeliers  ;  beautiful, neat,  and 
highly  wroMght  grates  in  the  fire-places  of  home  work ; 
candelabras,  lustres,  &ic.  kc,  much  as  one  sees  them 
all  oyer  Europe.     In  one  of  the  rooms,  however,  is  a 
spacioi-.s,  heavy,  ill-looking  side-l  oard,  in  mahogany, 
groaning  with  plate,  knife  and  sj,  jon  cases,  all  hand- 
some enough,  I  allow,  but  sadly  out  of  place  where 
they  are  seen.     Here  is  the  tirst  great    '  f  .-t  that  I 
find  in  the  ordering  of  American  dom'  sue  economy. 
The  eating,  or  dining-room,  is  almost  iiHari?    \y  one 
of  the  best  in  the  house.    The  custom  h  certr  .nly  of 
English  origin,  and  takes  it  rise  in  the  hu  ,i  of  sitting 
an  hour  or  two  after  the  cloth  is  removed,  picking 
nuts,  drinking  wine,  chatting,  yawning,  and  gr.zing 
about  the  apartment.     I'he  hrst  great  improvement 
to  be  made  in  the  household  of  these  people  is  to  sub- 
stitute .astc  for  prodigality  in  their  tables;  and  the 
second,  I  think,  will  be  to  choose  an  apartment  for 
their  meals,  that  shall  be  convenient  to  the  offices, 
suited  to  the  habits  of  the  family,  plain  in  its  orna- 
nients,  and  removed  from  the  ordinary  occupations 
of  those  who  are  to  enjoy  it.     In  some  houses  this  is 
already  partially  efFected ;  but,  as  a  rule,  I  am  per- 
suaded that  the  American  guest,  who  should  find  him- 
self introduced  into  a  salle  a  manger  as  plain  as  that 
m  which  a  French  duke    usually  takes  his  repast 
would  not  think  his  host  a  man  who  sufficiently  un 
derstood  the  fitness  of  things.     I  have  heard  it  said 
that  the  occupant  of  the  White  House*  gives  his  din- 
ners in  one  of  these  plain  rooms,  and  tliat  the  mean- 
ness of  Congress  is  much  laughed  at  because  they  do 
not  order  one  better  furnished  for  him.  Certes  if  Con- 
gress never  showed  a  worse  taste  than  this,  they  might 
safelv  ch,dlenj?p.  r.ritirisni       Ae  iUa  p».«^;^.x..*^   ^^  u;_ 


*  The  President  of  the  United  States. 


148 


EFFECTS  OF  CLEAR  ATMOSPHERE. 


I  \: 


■■) 


|i-  -ti  -'i 


wife,  directs  these  matters,  I  suppose,  however,  the 
great  national  council  is  altogether  innocent  of  the 
innovation. 

You  ascend,  by  nneans  of  the  stairs  at  the  end  of 
the  passage,  into  what  is  here  called  the  second  story, 
but  which,  from  the  equivocal  character  of  the  base- 
ment, it  is  difficult  to  name  correctly.  This  ascent  is 
necessarily  narrow,  crowded,  and  inconvenient.  The 
beautiful  railings  in  mahogany  and  brass,  and  the  ad- 
mirable neatness  of  every  part  of  an  American  house 
of  any  pretension,  would  serve  to  reconcile  one  to  a 
thousand  defects.  As  respects  this  cardinal  point,  I 
think  there  is  little  difference  between  the  English 
and  the  Americans,  at  least,  so  far  as  I  have  yet  seen 
the  latter ;  but  the  glorious  sun  of  this  climate  illu- 
mines every  thing  to  such  a 'degree,  as  to  lend  a 
quality  of  brightness  that  is  rarely  known  in  Britain, 
You  know  that  a  diamond  will  hardly  glitter  in  Lon- 
don. It  must  also  be  remembered  that  an  American 
house  is  kept  in  this  order  by  the  aid  of  perhaps  one 
third  of  the  domestics  that  would  be  employed  in  the 
mother  country. 

On  the  second  floor  (or  perhaps  you  will  get  a 
better  idea  if  I  call  it  the  first)  of  the  house  of  Mr. 

,  there  is  a  spacious  saloon,  which  occupies  the 

whole  width  of  the  building,  and  possesses  a  corres- 
ponding breadth„  This  apartment,  being  exclusively 
that  of  the  mistress  of  the  mansion,  is  furnished  with 
rather  more  delicacy  than  those  below.  The  cur- 
tains are  in  blue  India  damask,  the  chairs  and  sofa 
of  the  same  coloured  silk,  and  other  things  are  made 
to  correspond.  The  library  of  the  husband  is  on  the 
same  floor,  and  bet  veen  the  two  there  is  a  room  used 
as  a  bed-chamber.  The  third  story  is  appropriated 
to  the  sleeping-rooms  of  the  family ;  the  attic  to  the 
same  purpose  for  the  servants,  and  the  basement 
contains  a  nursery  and  ihe  usual  offices.  The  whole 
building  is  finished  with  great  neatness,  and  with  a 


MA.VXER  OF  WORKMANSHIP,  ETC.  I49 

solidity  and  accuracy  of  workmanship  that  it  is  rare 
to  meet  in  Europe,  out  of  England.  The  doors  of  the 
better  rooms  are  of  massive  mahogany,  and  wherever 

7k7}     '!uT^^^'^^::^''  "'^^  ^^^^^  S^^^t  taste  and 
Skill.    All  the  mantel-pieces  are  marble,  all  the  floors 
are  carpeted,  and  all  the  walls  are  finished  in  a  firm 
smooth  cement.  ' 

I  have  been  thus  minute  in  my  account,  because 

m  describing  the  house  of  Mr. ,  I  am  persuaded 

that  1  convey  a  general  idea  of  those  of  all  of  the 
upper  classes  in  the  northern  section  of  this  country 
in^Tu^'  certainly,  much  larger  and  more  pretend^ 
mg  buildings  than  his  in  New- York,  and  niany  far 
richer  and  more  highly  wrought ;  but  this  is  the  hab- 
itation of  an  American  in  the  very  best  society,  who 
IS  m  easy  circumstances,  of  extensive  and  high  con- 
nexions, and  who  receives  a  fair  proportion  of  his 
acquaintances.     By  extending  the  building  a  little 
adding  something  to  the  richness  of  the  furniture,^nd 
iiovv  and  then  going  as  far  as  two  or  three  cabinet 
pictures,  you  will  embrace  the  establishments  of  the 
most  affluent ;  and  by  curtailing  the  whole,  perhaps 
to  the  same  degree,  you  ivill  include  an  immense 
majority  of  all   hat  part  of  the  community  who  can 
lay  claim  to  belong  to  the  class  of  /..  geni  comme  il 
Jaut.     It  is  here,  as  elsewhere,  a  fact  that  the  par- 
venus are  commonly  the  most  lavish  in  their  expend- 
itures, either  because  money  is  a  novelty,  or,  what  is 
more  probably  the  case,  because  they  find  it  necessary 
to  purchase  consideration  by  its  liberal  use.  We  will 
now  quit  this  dwelling,  in  which  I  am  fond  of  ac- 
knowledging that  I  have  been  received  with  the  most 
kind  and  polished  hospitality,  by  its  execrable  flight 
01  steps,  and  descend  into  the  street. 
The  New-Yorkers  (how  much  better  is  the  word 
:•"  ,\'/  -fi^^^="  the  K^mnisy  inconvenient  en- 
trances, 1  believe,  as  heir-looms  of  their  Dutch  pro- 
genitors. They  are  called  "stoops,"  a  word  of  whose 

02 


150 


J10USES — ARCHITECTURE. 


h' 


HM 


1        81 


derivation  I  am  ignorant,  thougli  that  may  be  of  Hol- 
land too,  and  they  are  found  disfiguring  the  archi- 
tecture, cumbering  the  side-walks,  and  endangering 
the  human  neck,  attached  to  the  front  doors  of  more 
than  two  thirds  of  the  dwellings  of  this  city.  A  better 
taste  is,  however,  gradually  making  its  way,  and 
houses  with  regular  basements  are  seen,  in  which 
the  occupants  can  ascend  to  their  apartments  with- 
out encountering  the  dangers  that  in  winter  must 
frequently  equal  those  of  an  ascent  to  the  summit  of 
Mont  Blanc. 

You  will  see,  by  the  foregoing  description,  that  the 
family  of  an  American  gentleman  in  town,  though  not 
always  so  conveniently,  is  on  the  whole  about  as  well 
lodged  as  the  great  majority  of  the  similar  class  in 
your  own  country.     The  house  of  Mr. 


con- 


tains, including  three  capacious  saloons,  ten  consider- 
able rooms,  besides  offices,  and  servants'  chambers. 
The  deficiency  is  in  the  dining-room,  in  the  inconve- 
nience of  the  narrow  stairs,  and  in  the  bad  division 
of  the  principal  apartments  on  the  different  floors;  a 
fault  that  arises  from  the  original  construction  of  the 
building.  Though  the  ornaments  are  in  general  more 
simple,  the  Americans  have  in  very  many  things  a 
great  advantage.  Profiting  by  their  ^jearly  imshackled 
commerce,  they  import  any  thing  they  choose,  and 
adopt,  or  reject  its  use,  as  fancy  dictates.  Almost 
every  article  of  foreign  industry  can  be  purchased 
here  at  a  very  small  advance  on  the  original  cost,  and 
in  many  instances  even  cheaper.  Competition  is  so 
active,  and  information  so  universal,  and  so  rapidly 
imparted,  that  a  monopoly  can  hardly  exist  for  a 
week,  and  a  glut  is  far  more  common  than  a  scarcity. 
You  will  also  see  by  what  I  have  written,  that  the 
Americans  have  not  yet  adopted  a  style  of  architec- 
ture of  their  own.  Their  houses  are  still  essentially 
English,  though  neither  the  winters  nor  the  summers 
of  their  climate  would  seem  to  recommend  them. 


n,  in  which 


REASONS  I'OU  THE  INTERMEDIATE  TASTE.       lb) 

There  is,  however,  something  in  the  opposite  charac^ 
ters  ot  the  two  seasons,  to  render  a  choice  difficult. 
A  people  m  whose  country  the  heats  of  Florence  and 
the  colds  of  St  Petersburg  periodically  prevail,  may 
^yell  hesitate  between  a  marble  fountain  and  a  Rus- 
sian stove.     I  am  not  certain  that,  considering  their 
pursuits,  and  the  peculiarity  of  climate,  they  are  very 
wrong  m  their  present  habits.     But  I  shall  for  ever 
protest  against  the  use  of  carpets,  while  the  ther- 
mometer is  at  90%  nor  shall  I  soon  cease  to  declaim 
against  those  hideous  excrescences  called  "stoops  " 
Beautiful,  fragrant,  and  cool  India  mats,  are,  notwith- 
standing, much  m  use  in  midsummer,  in  the  better 
houses.     Still,  with  all  my  efforts,  I  have  not  been 
able  to  fand  a  room  to  sleep  in,  that  it  is  not  fortified 
with  a  Brussels,  or  a  double  English  uv^rmn.     The 
perspiration  stands  on  my  forehead  while  I  write  of 
them !     Another  defect  in  the  American   establish- 
ments is  iiie  want  of  cabinets  de  toilette.     They  are 
certainly  to  be  found  in  a  few  houses,  but  I  have  oc- 
cupied a  bed-room  five  and  twenty  feet  square,  in  a 
house,  otherwise  convenient,  that  had  not  under  its 
roof  a  single  apartment  of  the  sort.     This  is  truly  a 
sad  prodigahty  of  room,  though  space  be  unquestion- 
ably so  very  desirable  in  a  warm  climate. 

I  should  think  about  the  same  proportion  of  the 
inhabitants  keep  carriages  here  as  in  France.  But  the 
ordinary  coaches  of  the  stands  in  New- York  are  quite 
as  good,  and  often  far  better  than  those  voitures  de 
remse  that  one  usually  gets  by  the  day  in  Paris. 
Ihere  is  even  a  still  better  class  of  coaches  to  be  or- 
dered by  the  day,  or  hour,  from  the  stables,  which 
are  much  used  by  the  inhabitants.  The  equipages 
01  this  city,  with  the  exception  of  liveries,  and  her- 
aldic blazonries,  are  very  much  like  those  of  your  own 

AAr"      "ry "      ''"'-^  i  "i-j-  ianuuu,  coming  as  l 

did  from  England,  I  thought  the  coaches  so  exceed- 
ingly light  as  to  be  mean;  but,  too  experienced  a 


A      i 


"flit 


132         EQUIPAGES— EFFECTS    OF  IIAEIT,  ETC. 

traveller  to  be  precipitate,  I  waited  for  the  old  im- 
pressions to  lose  a  little  of  their  inHuence  before  an 
opinion  was  formed,  and  in  a  short  time  I  carxie  to 
see  their  beauties.  Cadwallader  told  me  that  when 
he  first  arrived  in  England,  he  was  amazed  at  the 
clumsiness  of  the  English  vehicles,  but  that  time,  by 
rendering  them  familiar,  soon  changed  his  opinion. 
We  went  together  lately  to  examine  a  coach  from 
London,  which  its  owner  had  abandoned,  either  in 
distaste,  or  because  he  found  it  unsiiited  to  the  coun- 
try, and  really  it  was  calculated  to  renew  all  the 
original  opinions  of  my  friend.  I  have  heard  of  an 
American  who  carried  to  England  one  of  the  light 
vehicles  of  his  country,  and  after  it  had  arrived,  he 
was  positively  ashamed  to  exhibit  it  among  its  pon- 
derous rivals.  In  this  manner  do  we  all  become  the 
subjects  of  a  capricious  and  varying  taste  that  is  mis- 
erably dependent  on  habit;  a  fact,  simjJe  as  it  is, 
which  might  teach  moderation  and  modesty  to  all 
young  travellers,  and  rather  less  dogmatism  than  is 
commonly  found  among  some  that  are  older. — Adieu. 


TO -THE  COMTE  JULES  DE  BETHIZY, 
&c.  Sec. 


New-York, - 


It  may  be  premature  to  pretend  tO'  speak  with  any 
certainty  concerning  the  true  state  of  ordinai*y  Ame- 
rican society.  My  opinions  have  already  undergone 
two  or  three  revolutions  on  the  subject,  for  it  is  so 
easy,  where  no  acknowledged  distinctions  prevail,  for 
a  stranger  to  glide  imperceptibly  from  one  circle  to 
another,  that  the  impressions  they  leave  are  very  apt 


MANNERS  OF  AMERICAX  SOCIETY. 


153 


to  be  confounded.     I  have  never  yet  conversed  with 
any  declaimer  on  the  bad  tone  of  ^-epublican  man- 
ners (and  they  are  not  wanting),  who  has  not  been 
ready   enough   to  confess   this,   or   that,   individual 
an  eminent  exception.     Now,  it  never   appears  to 
enter  into  the  heads  of  these  Chesterfieldian  critics 
that  the  very  individuals  in   question  are  so  many 
members  of  a  great  class,  that  very  well  know  how 
to  marshal  themselves  in  their  ordinary  intercourse 
with  each  other,  although,  to  a  stranger,  they  may 
seem  no  more  than  insulated  exceptions,  floating,  as 
it  were  by  accident,  on  the  bosom  of  a  motley,  and 
frequently  far  from  inviting  state  of  society.     I  thinl- 
however,  that  it  is  not  difficult  to  see,  at  a  glance' 
that  even  the  best  bred  people  here  maintain  their 
intercourse  among  each  other,  under  far  fewer  arti- 
hcial  forms  than  are  to  be  found  in  almost  any  other 
country.     Simplicity  of  deportment-is  usually  the 
concomitant  of  good  sense   every  where ;  but,  in 
America,  it  is  particularly  in  good  taste.     It  would 
be  a  gratuitous  weakness  in  a  people  who  have  boldly 
denounced  the  dominion  of  courts,  to  descend  to 
imitate  the  cumbrous  forms  which  are  perhaps  neces- 
sary to  their  existence,  and  which  so   insensibly 
become  disseminated,  in  mawkish  imitations,  among 
those  who  live  in  their  purlieus.     Direct  in  their 
thoughts,  above  the  necessity  of  any  systematic  coun- 
terteiting,  and  m  almost  every  instance,  secure  of  the 
ordinary  means  of  existence,  it  is  quite  in  nature  that 
the  American,  m  his  daily  communications,  should 
consult  the  truth  more,  and  conventional  deception 
less,  than  those  who  are  fettered  and  restrained  by  the 
thousand  pressures  of  a  highly  artificial  state  of  being. 
1  he  boasted  refinement  of  the  m.ost  polished  court 
m  Europe  is,  after  all,  no  more  than  expertness  in  a 

practice,  which  thp  PpreJan    ^r\fh  I.;.   . :  U-_t- 

education,  understands  better  than  the  veriest  courtier 
of  them  all.     That  rare  and  lofty  courtesy,  in  which 


154 


LESS  yi?.lIFICIAL  THAN   IN  EUROPE. 


'*    '    j 


t-  -f  - 


the  party  knows  how  to  respect  himself,  by  sacri- 
ficing no  principle  while  he  reconciles  his  companion 
to  the  stern  character  of  his  morals  hy  grace  of  mien 
and  charity  to  his  weaknesses,  is,  1  think,  quite  as 
common  here  as  we  are  wont  to  tind  it  in  Europe. 
In  respect  to  those  purely  conventional  forms,  that 
receive  value  only  from  their  use,  and  which  are  so 
highly  prized  by  weak  minds,  becc-iise  so  completely 
within  thv;ir  reach,  and  which  even  become  familiar 
to  strong  ones  from  an  indisposition  to  dispute  tljeir 
sway,  are  ii»  no  great  favour  here.  Perhaps  the 
circumstance  that  ^  uple  of  education,  fortune,  con- 
nexions, and,  of  coi^ie,  )f  similar  turn  of  mind,  are 
so  much  separated  by  tie  peculiarity  of  the  State 
governments,  into  the  coteries  of  twenty  capital 
towns  instead  of  tl<ose  •>£  one,  is  the  chief  reason  that 
they  are  neglected ;  for  all  experience  proves  thai 
fashion  is  a  folly  which  merely  needs  soil  to  take  deep 
root.  Indeed  I  am  not  sure  that  this  species  of  exotic 
will  not,  at  some  future  day,  luxuriate  in  America  to 
a  greater  degree,  than  it  even  thrives  in  the  fertile 
regions  of  the  east.  It  is  certain,  that  in  England, 
the  couiitry  most  resembling  this,  fashionable  society 
is  more  trammelled  by  fictitious  forms,  both  of  speech 
and  deportment,  than  in  any  other  European  nation. 
Every  where  else,  after  certain  sacrifices  are  made  to 
deception  and  the  self-love  of  second  persons,  the 
actor  is  bft  to  play  his  part  at  the  instigations  of 
nature ;  but  in  England  there  is  a  fashion  for  drink- 
iig  a  glass  of  wine,  for  pronouncing,  and  mispro- 
nouncing a  word,  for  even  perverting  its  meaning, 
for  being  polite,  and  what  is  still  more  strange,  some- 
times for  being  rude  and  vulgar.  Any  one  who  has 
lived  twenty  years,  may  recall  a  multitude  of  changes 
that  have  occurred  in  the  most  cherished  usages  of 
what  is  called  'good-b.vecliir^.  Now,  there  mus'  ;- 
a  reason  for  all  this  whimsical  absurdity.  Is  it  .01 
owing  to  the  peculiarly  vacillating  nature  of  her  ar-v 


so 


h-\ 


INFLUENCE  OP  TASHION — LESS^DESPOTIC  HERE.     155 

bcracy?    In  a  conn  try  where  wealth  is  constantly 
bnj5.'>-ing   new  claimants   for  consideration  into   the 
arena  of  fashion,  (for  it  is,  after  all,  no  more  than  a 
struggle  for  notoriety,  that  may  be  more  bloodless, 
but  IS  hot  less  bitter  than  that  of  the  gladiators,)  those 
who  are  in  its  possession  contrive  all  possible  means 
of  distinction  between  themselves  and  those  who  are 
about  to  dispute  their  ascendancy.     Beyond  a  doubt 
v;hat  is  called  high  English  society,  is  more  repulsive, 
artificial  and  cumbered,  and,  in  short,  more  absurd 
and  frequently  less  graceful  than  that  of  anv  other 
European  nation.     Still  the  English  are  a  rational, 
sound,  highly  reasoning,  manly  and  enlightened  peo- 
ple.    If  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  inconsistency, 
but  by  believing  that  the  struggle  for  supremacy  gives 
birth  to  every  species  of  high-bred  folly,  among  which 
is  to  be  numbered  no  small  portion  of  customs  that 
would  be  more  honoured  in  the  breach  than  in  the 
observance. 

If  like  causes  are  always  to  produce  like  effects, 
the  day  may  come  when  the  same  reasons  shall 
induce  the  American  fashionables  of  two  g  ^nerations 
to  lead  the  fashionables  of  one,  a  similar  wild-goose 
chase  in  quest  of  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  elegance.  As 
the  fact  now  stands,  the  accessions  to  the  lioteries  are 
so  very  numerous,  and  are  commonly  made  with 
strides  so  rapid,  that  it  is  as  yet,  fortunately,  more 
likely  to  give  distinction  to  be  rationally  pohte,  than 
genteelly  vulgar. 

Of  one  truth,  however,  i  am  firmly  persuaded,  that 
nineteen  out  of  twenty  of  the  strangers  who  visit  this 
country,  can  give  no  correct  analysis  of  the  manners 
which  prevail  in  the  different  circles  that  divide  this, 
like  all  other  great  communities.  The  pursuits  and 
the  inclinations  of  the  men  bring  them  much  oftener 
--_-.>. .^,  ..,v,..  ii^.^or.  -^-i  tiii^  vvwiiicji.  it  la  iiiereiore 
among  the  females  that  the  nicer  and  more  delicate 
shades  of  distinction  are  to  be  sought.    The  very  prev- 


.;.  I) 


156 


INFLUENCE  OP  TALENTS,  MONEY,  ETC. 


I 


h  i, 


n  I 

i  * 

i 

f  t  'I 


alent  notion  of  Europe,  that  society  must,  of  necessity, 
exist,  in  a  pure  democracy,  on  terms  of  promiscuous 
jissociation,  is  too  manifestly  absurd  to  need  any  con- 
tradiction with  one  who  knows  Hfe  as  well  as  yourself. 

It  would  require  the  magical  power  which  that 
renowned  philanthropist,  Mr.  Owen,  ascribes  to  his 
system,  to  destroy  the  influence  of  education,  talents, 
money,  or  even  of  birth.  They  all,  in  fact,  exist  in 
America,  just  as  they  do  with  us,  only  moditied,  and 
in  some  degree  curtailed. 

You  may  perhaps  be  startled  to  hear  of  distinction 
conferred  by  birth  among  a  people  whose  laws  deny 
it  a  single  privilege  or  immunity.  Even  thousands 
of  Americans  themselves,  who  have  scarcely  de- 
scended into  their  own  system  farther  than  is  abso- 
lutely requisite  to  acquire  its  general  maxims,  will 
stoutly  maintain  that  it  has  no  reality.  I  remember 
to  have  heard  one  of  these  generalizers  characterize 
the  folly  of  a  young  acquaintance  by  saying,  vvith  pe- 
culiar bitterness  of  tone,  "  he  presumes  on  his  being 

the  son  of ."    Now,  if  some  portion  of  the 

consideration  of  the  father  were  not  transmissible  to 
the  descendant,  the  latter  clearly  could  in  no  degree 
presume  on  his  birth.  It  is  fortunate  here,  as  else- 
where, to  be  the  child  of  a  worthy,  or  even  of  an 
affluent  parent.  The  goods  of  the  latter  descend, 
by  process  of  law,  to  the  offspring,  and,  by  aid  of 
public  opinion,  the  son  receives  some  portion  of  the 
renown  that  has  been  earned  by  the  merit  of  the 
father.  It  is  useless  to  dwell  on  those  secret  and 
deep-rooted  feelings  by  which  man,  in  all  ages,  and 
under  every  circumstance,  has  been  willing  to  per- 
mit this  hereditary  reflection  of  character,  in  order 
to  prove  that  human  nature  must  have  sway  in  the 
republics  of  North  America,  as  in  the  monarchies  of 
the  east.  A  thousand  examples  might  be  nnoted  to 
show  that  the  influence  of  this  sentiment  of  birth, 
(just  so  far  as  it  is  a  sentiment  and  not  a  prejudice,) 


HOW    FAR    BIRTH    IS    RESPECTED. 


157 


js  not  only  felt  by  the  people,  but  is  openly  acknow- 
ledged  by  the  government  of  the  country  in  its  prac- 
tices.    Unless  I  am  grossly  misinformed,  the  relative 
of  one  who  had  served  the  state,  for  instance,  would, 
cwterts  paribus,  prevail  in  an  application  for  the  pub- 
lic favour,  oyer  a  competitor  who  could  urge  no  such 
additional    claim  ;   and  the  reason  of  the   decision 
would  be  deemed  satisfactory  by  the  nation.    No  one 
would  be  hardy  enough  to  deny,  that,  had  Washington 
iett  a  child,  he  would  have  passed  through  society, 
or  even  before  the  public,  on  a  perfect  equality  with 
men  similarly  endowed,  though  not  similarly  bom. 
Just  as  this  hereditary  advantage  would  be  true  in 
he  case  of  a  son  of  Washington,  it  is  true,  with  a 
lessened  effect,  in  those  of  other  men.     It  would  be 
a  weak  and  a  vain,  because  an  impracticable  and  an 
unwise  attempt,  in  any  people,  to  reject  so  sweet  an 
incentive  to  virtue  on  the  part  of  the  parent,  or  so 
noble  a  motive  of  emulation  on  that  of  the  child     It 
IS  enough  for  the  most  democratic  opinions,  that  the 
feeling  should  be  kept  within  the  limits  of  reason. 
1  he  community,  m  a  government  trammelled  by  so 
few  factitious  forms,  always  holds  in  its  own  power 
a  sufhcient  check  on  the  abuse  of  the  privilege ;  and 
here,  m  fact,  is  to  be  found  the  true  point  of  distinc- 
tion, not  only  between  the  governments  of  this  and 
other  countries,  but  between  the  conditions  of  their 

T'"^.''^  f  """^^^^  ^^'''-  ^^  America,  while  the  claims 
of  individuals  are  admitted,  it  is  easy  to  satisfy,  to 
weaken,  or  to  lose  them.  It  is  not  enough  simply  to 
be  the  son  of  a  great  man ;  in  order  to  render  it  of 
essential  advantage,  some  portion  of  his  merit  must 
become  hereditary,  or  the  claim  had  better  be  sup- 
pressed. Even  an  honourable  name  may  become 
matter  of  reproach,  since,  when  the  public  esteem  is 
-. -.v,  x^^ii;:;ticu,  luu  recullecuon  oi  me  ancestor  oiriy 
^rves  to  heighten  the  demerit  of  his  delinquent  child. 
1  here  is  no  privileged  rank  under  which  he  can 
Vol.  I.  p 


,   t 


158 


MORALS  NECESSARY  FOR  INFLUENCE. 


stalk  abroad  aniflout  at  tlie  morals,  or  offend  the 
honesty  of  nnen  better  than  hinstj'.f,  and  the  councils 
of  the  nation  are  for  ever  he  nu»  ti  -  nii}'  sealed  against 
his  entrance. 

In  society,  the  punis)A.nent  of  this  un worthiness, 
though  necessarily  less  imposing,  is  scarcely  less  direct 
and  salutary.  Nothing  is  easier  than  for  a  member 
of  any  circle  to  forfeit  the  privileges  o**  cubie.  It  is  a 
fact  highly  creditable  to  the  morals  of  this  people, 
unless  close  observation  and  the  opinions  of  Cad- 
wallader  greatly  mislead  me,  that  a  circle  confessedly 
inferior  will  not  ;;eceive  an  outcast  from  one  above  it. 
The  great  qi  alifications  for  all  are,  in  moral  essen- 
tials, the  same,  It  is  not  pretended  that  all  men,  or 
even  all  women,  in  the  United  States,  are  exemplary 
in  their  habits,  or  that  they  live  in  a  state  of  entire 
innocence,  compared  with  that  of  their  fellow-mortals 
elsewhere ;  but  there  is  not  a  doubt  that  the  tone  of 
manners  here  requires  the  utmost  seemliness  of  de- 
portment ;  that  suspicion  even  may  become  danger- 
ous to  a  man,  and  is  almost  always  fatal  to  a  woman; 
and  that  as  access  to  the  circles  is  effected  with  If^ss 
difficulty  than  with  us,  so  is  the  path  pf  egress  mucn 
more  readily  to  be  found. 

Th*ire  is  a  very  summ  >ry  way  of  a'  ounting  for 
these  things,  by  saying  thai  all  ttiis  is  no  more  than 
the  result  of  a  simple  state  of  society,  and  that  in  the 
absence  of  luxury,  and  espc  iaiy  in  a  coi  ntry  wh  re 
the  population  is  scattered,  the  result  is  precisely  that 
which  was  to  be  expected.  Why  then  is  not  the  tone 
of  manners  as  high  in  South  as  in  N^rth  i^merica,  or 
why  are  the  moralists  in  the  cities  qi  ^  fastidious, 
or  even  more  so,  than  those  on  the  n  >st  note  bor- 
ders ?  The  truth  is,  that  neither  the  polity  nor  the 
manners  of  the  Americans  bear  that  recent  origin  we 
are  wont  to  eive  them.  Both  have  substantially  en* 
dured  the  test  of  two  centuries ;  and  though  they  are 
becoming  meliorated  and  more  accommodating  by 


(■' 


i  i 


rcE. 

•  offend  ihe 
the  coiincili 
aled  against 

jworthiness, 
\y  less  direct 
r  a  member 
aste.  It  is  a 
this  people, 
3ns  of  Cad- 

confessedly 
me  above  it. 
noral  essen- 
;  all  nnen,  or 
2  exemplary 
te  of  entire 
low-mortals 

the  tone  of 
liness  of  de- 
3me  danger- 
to  a  woman ; 
ed  with  I'^ss 
egress  mucu 

ountin^^  for 
)  more  than 
i  that  in  the 
mtry  wh  .-e 
recisely  that 
not  the  tone 
America,  or 
fastidious, 
note  bor- 
►lity  nor  the 
nt  origin  we 
itantiailv  en* 
ugh  they  are 
nodating  by 


LUXURIES    QUITK    f-OMMOlV. 


159 


time,  It  IS  idle  to  say  that  they  are  merely  the  expe- 
riments^of  the  hour.     Nor  is  it  very  safe  to  ascribe 
any  quality,  good  or  bad,  to  the  Americans  on  account 
of  their  being  removed  from  the  temptations  of  1  jxury. 
1  hat  they  ijave  abstained  from  excessive  indulgence 
IS  more  the  etFcct  of  taste  or  principle,  than  of  neces' 
sity.     1  have  never  yet  visited  any  country  where 
luxuries  were  so  completely  within  the  reach  of  the 
'  majority      h  ,s  true  that  their  manners  are  not  ex- 
posed  to  the  temptations  of  courts ;  but  it  is  equally 
true  that  they  have  deliberately  rejected  the  use  of 
such  a  form  of  go  ernmeni  as  renders  them    ecessary. 
Before  leaving  this  subject  I  must  expi.in  a  little, 
or  what  I  have  already  written  may  possibly  lead  you 
into  error.    The  influence  of  birth,  though  undoubted, 
IS  not  to  be  understood  as  existing  here  in  any  thing 
like  the  extent,  or  even  under  the  same  forms,  as  in 
Europe.*     The  very  nation,  which,  in  tenderness  to 
the  father,  migh    be  d-no  ed  to  accord  a  certain  de- 
ferencr    o  the  chiiJ  wb     had  received  his  early  im- 
pressioa.  under  su      a  man  as  Washington,  would  be 
very  apt  to  turn      cold     nd    lispleasld  eye  on  the 
fo.iies  or  vices  pi  a  mc       ]\suw  descendant.     You 
may  be  prepared  to  answer,      11  this  reads  well,  but 
we  wdl  wait  the  effects  of  time  on  a  system  that  pre- 
tends  t    elevate  .tself  above  the  established  prejudices 


rnnW    ^  v^    f  authonty  of  a  great  contompor        (the  bioir 
vor/r   ^,^^P?^^°")  f^^r  believing  that  the  scienc     i  h'ra  Sfy 
•  vorBr    the  inferences  of  reason,  by  shedding  mor.  lustre  on  the 

i  h  ,  i's  '    tufr\  l^?  '''  '^'  ^°""^^^  °^  -    i""«tn    -  name! 

his  18.  .  .  the  best,  but  an  eq-uvocal  acknowiedgn'^ni       d  it  is 

unden.      y  far  too  subhmated  for  the  fitraight.goiuJ  common 

he'-e'rV'onn^'^r"'""     i:he  .write      .  incl4d  fobflieve  " 
Wie  very  opposite  gr>  md  is  mair  ained  by  th     proficients 
-  merican  heraldry,  or,  in  other  words,  that  the  a   ^    mar  h   ^ 
Belf  18  thought  to    0  the  greatest  man  of  his  famTi     ««d  ♦!    ^^- 
j-eneciion  of  his  taj    u.,  p'robity,  courage,  or  fo   w.  .'eve/'QualV/^ 

on  tnose  of  h'.s  o^.pnng  who  have  lived  neartv '  to  its  infl.ience, 


160 


ANECDOTE    OP    A    FARMER. 


I 


\i 


Jll 


^i! 


of  the  rest  of  the  world/  But  in  what  is  reason 
weaker  dian  prejudice,  after  its  conclusions  have 
been  cohiirmed  by  practice  ?  I  repeat,  these  people 
are  net  experimenting,  but  living  in  conformity  to 
usages,  and  under  institutions  that  have  already  heexx 
subject  to  the  trials  of  tuv  hundred  years.  So  far  as 
I  can  learn,  instead  of  imperceptibly  falHng  into  the 
train  of  European  ideas,  they  have  rather  been  silently 
receding ;  and  if  there  has  been  the  least  approxima- 
tion between  th'  opinions  of  the  two  hemispheres  on 
these  subjects,  the  change  has  been  wrought  among 
ourselves.  While  travelling  in  the  interior  of  New- 
England,  an  honest  lookiiig  farmer  endeavoured  to 
read  the  blazonry  that,  by  the  negligence  of  a  servant, 
had  been  suffered  to  remain  on  the  plate  of  one  of 
my  travelling  cases.  I  endeavoured  to  solve  the  dif- 
ficulties of  the  good  man  by  explaining  the  use  and 
meaning  of  the  arms.  No  sooner  did  the  American 
find  that  I  was  disposed  to  humour  his  curiosity,  than 
he  asked  several  home  questions,  that,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, were  not  without  their  embarrassment.  It 
was  necessary  finally  to  tell  him  that  these  were  dis- 
tinctions that  had  been  conferred  by  different  sove- 
reigns on  the  ancestors  of  the  owner  of  the  case.  "  If 
there  is  no  harm  in't,  may  I  ask  for  what?"  "For 
their  courage  in  battle,  and  devotion  to  their  princes." 
The  worthy  republican  regarded  the  plate  for  some 
time  intently ;  and  then  bluntly  inquired  "  if  this  was 
all  the  reward  they  had  received  ?"  As  it  was  use- 
less to  contend  against  the  prejudices  of  an  ignorant 
man,  a  retreat  was  effected  as  soon  as  convenient.* 


f,..M. . 


J.P* 


\\\ 


*  The  simplicity  which  one  finds  on  these  subjects  in  America, 
is  often  not  without  amusement.  The  general  use  of  books,  and 
the  multitude  of  journals  in  the  United  StatcF,  certainly  prevent 
the  inhabitants  of  the  country  from  being  as  ignorant  of  tho 
Usages  of  Europe,  us  the  people  of  x.uropc,  even  of  Iho  bcilor 
classes,  are  commonly  of  them ;  still  there  arc  thou    ids  who 


*RMORIAL    BEAHrN-flS. 


161 


Notwithstanding   these   instances  of  ignorance    the 

own     mfu    n  ^'^  ^"  "  ™  •''"■"^n'  frnm  their 

irdtrLnfn,-  I  "''''' Sreat  number,  emblazoned 
m  d  Hcrent  materials,  suspended  from  the  walls  of  Ihr 
dwelhngs,  especially  in  New-England.  They  are 
frequently  seen  on  carriages,  and  pirhaps  often/r  sUM 

0  Z^'±  ^!'  "'""^  --P--n  " -  ask  d 
feeS  Zr^^i^    ^^  evidences  of  an  aristocratical 

ocr  ?fc     tL     K  ?""'"°  Vl^^P^"  '°  thproughly  dem- 
oudtit.    The  substance  of  his  answer  shall  be  given- 

m?vl!f '  .     H^«='se'y  the  same  reasons  as  are  ac- 
od  Sh. "'  ^"'"^^l  "7 ^'■'^  nevertheless  descend- 

emigrated  to  1'""^  '"■'  ?^  P'-?g<^'"'o'^-     Those  who 
emigrated  o  this  hemisphere,  brought  with  them  most 
of  he  opinions  o   the  old  world.  Such  of  themTs  bore 
oats  i)f  arms  did  not  forget  the  distinction,  a™, dthoe 
that  you  see  are  the  relics  of  times  long   ince  past 
rhey  have  not  been  disposed  of,  for  no  Ither  reason 
l.at  I  can  discover,  than  because  it  is  difficult  to  fmd 
use  for  them.     Most  of  the  trinkets  are  heir-looms 
hough  many  individuals  find  a  personal  con  enlence' 
There":re1thf  '^t'' ""''  ?PP™Priate  to  themsX^ 
of  fhi!  Z        ?"  '"'"'  "P'^"'^  ^''''P'  afms  for  the  sake 
of  this  convenience,  sometimes  rejecting  those  wlildi 
have  long  been  used  by  their  fami  ies,  simpt  because 
theyarenot  sufficiently  exclusive ;  and  there  are  ce  ' 

the  Uniled  States  durine  the  JJl^e^'"-^'  ""?■  "•""■""g  i" 
»elf  acceptable  ever v  w",le  hv  h  .  ^     ,°  ^"'"-   '  "  '"»''=  ••'■» 
liWe  crowd  had  coLn  In  ;   '^  5    "f  f'"="y  ""d  good  sense.  A 

.r.d  a  new  comerlnq^Led  rfone  If  1""  '"^'"^  '"'  ^"^  "°PP»^ 
'        "■      ?«  A^une.      .  A  JJuke  !  I  wonder  What  he  does 


1 


for  a  li 


vingr 


P  2 


162 


ARISTOCRATIC    USAGES    DISAPPEARING. 


f.j, 


tainly  some  who  are  willing  to  creep  under  the  man- 
tle of  gentility  at  so  cheap  a  rate.  Foreigners,  when 
they  see  these  exhibitions,  and  find  self-eitablished 
heralds  in  the  shape  of  seal-cutters,  &c.  in  the  country, 
sometimes  believe  that  wealth  is  gradually  producing 
a  change  in  the  manners  of  the  people  to  the  prejudice 
of  democracy.  But  they  fall  into  an  egregious  error. 
The  fact  is,  that  even  this  innocent,  though  perhaps 
absurd  vanity,  is  getting  rapidly  into  disuse,  together 
with  most  of  the  other  distinctive  usages  of  orders  in 
society,  that  are  not  purely  connected  with  character 
and  deportment.  No  one,  for  instance,  thinks  now 
of  exhibiting  the  arms  or  ly  portion  of  the  dwelling, 
in  hatchments,  or  on  tombstones,  though  all  were 
practised  openly  within  thirty  years.  Liveries  are 
scarcely  so  frequent  now  as  formerly,  while  coaches, 
coachmen,  and  footmen  are  multiplied  fifty-fold.  In 
short,  the  whole  country,  not  only  in  its  government, 
but  in  all  its  habits,  is  daily  getting  to  be  more  purely 
democratic,  instead  of  making  the  smallest  approaches 
to  the  opposite  extreme.  I  state  this  merely  as  a  fact 
that  any  well-informed  American  will  corroborate, 
leaving  you  to  your  own  reasoning  and  inferences." 

It  is  a  peculiar  feature  of  American  democracy, 
and  it  is  one  which  marks  its  ancient  date  and  its 
entire  security,  that  it  is  unaccompanied  by  any 
jealousy  of  aristocracy  beyond  that  which  distin- 
guishes the  usual  rancour  of  personal  envy.  One 
may  sometimes  hear  remarks  that  denote  the  sour- 
ness of  an  unsuccessful  rivalry,  but  the  feeling  can 
nowhere  be  traced  in  the  conduct  of  the  nation.  The 
little  States  of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  contain, 
beyond  a  doubt,  the  two  most  purely  democratic 
communities  in  the  civilized  world.  In  both,  the  pub- 
lic will  is  obeyed  with  the  submission  that  a  despot 
would  exact;  and^  in  (he  latter-  it  is  consulted  to  a 
minuteness  of  detail  that  would  be  inconvenient,  if 
not  impracticable,  in  a  community  of  more  extended 


SOCIETV   OF    NEW-YORK. 


163 


interests.     Now,  mark  one  effect  of  this  excessive 
democracy  which  you  may  not  be  prepared  to  ex- 
pect.     No  less  than  three  governors  of  Connecticut 
have  been  named  to  me,  who,  in  due  progress  of  time, 
and  at  suitable  ages,  have  been  selected  to  sit  in  the 
chair  which  their  fathers  had  filled   with  credit 
Many  inferior  offices  also  exist,  which,  were  it  not 
for  the   annual  decision  of  the  people,  might  be 
thought  to  have  become  hereditary  in  certain  fami- 
lies.      Here  is  proof  that  the  sovereign  people  can 
be  as  stable  m  their  will,  as  the  will  of  any  other 
sovereign.    Of  the  five  Presidents  who  have  filled  the 
chair,  since  the  adoption  of  the  present  constitution 
m  1 789,  but  one  has  left  a  son.     That  son  is  now  a 
candidate  for  the  same  high  office;  and  though  the 
circumstance,  amid  a  thousand  other  absurdities,  is 
sometimes  urged  against  his  election,  it  is  plain  there 
is  not  a  man  in  the  whole  nation  who  deems  it  of 
the  least  importance.! 

As  might  be  expected,  the  general  society  of  New- 
York  bears  a  strong  impression  of  its  commercial 
character.  In  consequence  of  the  rapid  growth  of 
the  city,  the  number  of  families  that  may  be  prop. 
eriy  classed  among  those  which  have  long  been 
distinguished  in  its  history  for  their  wealth  and  im- 
portance, bears  a  much  smaller  proportion  to  it*^ 
entire  population  than  that  of  most  other  places.  A 
great  many  of  the  principal  personages  were  swept 
away  by  the  Revolution.  Under  these  constant  and 
progressive  changes,  as  might  be  expected,  the  influ- 
ence of  their  manners  is,  T  think,  less  perceptible 
than,  for  instance,  in  Philadelphia.  Still,  a  much 
larger  class  of  what  in  Europe  forms  the  6lite  of  so- 


•    nT^  J  w^riter  was  assured  that  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State, 
m  ivhudc  Island,  had  been  in  one  fauiiiy  fornear  seventy  yeare. 

tMr.  John  Quincy  Adams:  he  was  chosen  the  following  win- 
ter, and  is  now  President. 


i  I 


164 


INFLUENCE    OF    MERCHANTS. 


\if 


1 1  - 


K 


II  ■' 


cieiy  exists  here,  than  strangers  commonly  suppose. 
My  letters  first  threw  me,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
among  the  mercantile  men;  and  I  found  that  mixture 
of  manners,  information,  and  character,  that  distin- 
guishes the  class  every  where.  It  was  my  lot  fre- 
quently to  occupy  a  seat  at  a  banquet  between  some 
fine,  spirited,  intelligent  individual,  whose  mind  and 
manners  had  been  improved  by  travel  and  education, 
and,  perhaps,  another  yotary  of  Plutus,  (one  hardly 
dare  say  of  Mercury,  in  this  stage  of  the  world,)  whose 
ideas  were  never  above  the  level  of  a  sordid  calcula- 
tion, and  all  of  whose  calculations  were  as  egotistical 
as  his  discourse.  It  strikes  me  that  both  a  higher  and 
a  lower  order  of  men  mingle  in  commerce  here,  than 
is  seen  elsewhere,  if,  perhaps,  the  better  sort  of  Eng- 
lish m'^.chants  be  excepted.  Their  intimate  relations 
on  "'Change"  bring  them  all,  more  or  less,  together 
in  the  saloons ;  nor  can  the  associations  well  be  avoid- 
ed, until  the  place  shall  attain  a  size,  which  must  leave 
every  one  the  perfect  master  of  his  own  manner  of 
living.  That  hour  is  fast  approaching  for  New-York, 
and  with  it,  I  think,  must  come  a  corresponding  change 
in  the  marshalling  of  its  coteries. 

Whe>i  Cadwallader  returned  from  the  country,  I 
fell  into  a  very  dilFcrent  circle.  His  connexions  were 
strictly  of  New-York,  and  tliey  were  altogether  among 
the  principal  and  longest  established  families.  Here 
I  met  with  many  men  of  great  leisure  and  large  for- 
tunes, who  had  imparted  to  their  children  what  they 
had  received  from  their  fathers ;  and  it  would  not  have 
been  easy,  after  making  some  slight  allowances  for  a 
trifling  tinge  of  Dutch  customs,  to  have  distinguished 
between  their  society  and  that  portion  of  the  English 
who  live  in  great  abundance,  without  falling  into  the 
current  of  what  js  called  high  or  fashionable  hfe. 
Although  many,  not  only  of  the  best  informed,  but  of 
the  best  bred  of  the  Americans,  are  merclmnts,  the 
tone  of  manners  in  this  circle  was  decidedly  more 


COLDNESS    OF    MANNER. 


165 


even  and  graceful  than  in  that  which  strictly  belongs 
to  the  former     But  it  is  not  difficult  to  see  that  so- 
ciety m  New-York,  m  consequence  of  its  extraordi- 
nary increase,  is  rather  in  a  state  of  effervescence 
than  se  tied    and,  where  that  is  the  case,  I  presume 
you  will  not  be  surprised  to  know,  that  the  lees  some- 
times  get  nearer  to  the  surface  than  is  desirable. 
JNothmg  IS  easier  than  for  a  well-behaved  man,  who 
IS  tolerably  recommended,  to  get  admission  into  the 
houses  of  the  lar^er  proportion  of  those  who  seek  no- 
IZ'v^aI  ^^?"^tj»g  a  general  intercourse;  but  I  am 
inchned  to  think  that  the  doors  of  those  who  are 
secure  of  their  stations  are  guarded  with  the  cus- 
tomary watchfulness.     Still  you  will  always  remem- 
ber,  that  suspicion  is  less  alert  than  in  Europe:  for 
where  temptations  to  abuse  confidence  are  so  rare 
one  IS  not  much  disposed  to  clog  the  enjoyments  of 
hie  by  admitting  so  sullen  a  guest.    The  effect'of  this 
genera    confidence  is  a  less   restrained  and  more 
natural  communication. 

There  is  a  common  accusation  against  the  Amer- 
icans, men  and  women,  of  being  cold  in  their  man- 
ners.  Some  carry  their  distaste  of  the  alleged  defect 
so  far  as  to  impute  it  to  a  want  of  feeling     I  have 
even  listened  to  speculations  so  ingenious,  as  to  refer 
1    to  a  peculiarity  in  the  climate—a  reasoning  that 
was  thought  to  be  supported  by  the  well-known  im- 
perturbability of  the  Aborigines.  Whether  the  theory 
be  true  or  false,  the  argument  that  is  brought  to 
namtain  it  is  of  most  unfortunate  application.     The 
ornado  itself  is  not  more  furious  than  the  anger  of 
be  Indian,  nor  is  it  easy  to  imagine  a  conformation 
ot  the  human  mnid  that  embraces  a  wider  range  of 
mo  ions,  from  the  fiercest  to  the  most  gentle?  than 
wha    the  ongmal  owners  -  ^f  this   country  possess. 

V-IVlllzatlon    miffht    mnlfmlv-  fh^  ^1, ,      ^r  ±t^'     i 

mour,  but  It  would  scarcely  exhibit  it  in  more  de- 
cided iorms.     I  confess,  however,  that  even  in  Cad- 


166 


'*! 


COLDNESS  or  MANNER ANECDOTE. 


wallader,  I  thought,  during  the  first  weeks  of  our 
intercourse,  something  of  this  restraint  of  manner 
was  perceptible.  In  his  countrymen,  and  more  par- 
ticularly his  countrywomen,  the  defect  seemed  no 
less  lipparent.  In  New-England,  notwithstanding 
their  extraordinary  kindness  in  deeds,  there  was  often 
an  apparent  coldness  of  demeanour  that  certainly 
lessened,  though  it  could  not  destroy  its  effect.* 


*  An  instance  of  this  suppressed  manner  occurred  while  the 
author  was  at  New- York  in  the  summer  of  1825.  An  English 
frigate  (the  Hussar)  entered  the  port,  and  anchored  a  short  dis- 
tance  below  the  town.  Her  captain  was  the  owner  of  a  London- 
built  wherry,  which  he  kept  for  his  private  sport,  as  his  country- 
men on  shore  are  known  to  keep  racers.  It  seems  that  some 
conversation  concerning  the  model  of  this  boat,  and  of  those  of 
New- York,  and  perhaps,  too,  respecting  the  comparative  skill  of 
four  London  watermen  whom  he  was  said  to  retain  as  a  sort  of 
grooms,  and  the  renowiied  Whitehallers,  induced  him  to  insert  a 
challenge  in  the  journals,  wherein  he  threw  down  the  glove,  for 
a  trial  of  speed,  to  all  t';9  mariners  or  sportsmen  of  the  city. 
The  Whitehallers  took  up  the  gage,  and  a  day  was  publicly 
named  for  the  trial.  It  was  quite  evident  that  the  citizens,  who 
are  keenly  alive  to  sny  thing  that  affects  their  reputation  on  the 
water,  let  it  be  ever  so  trifling,  took  great  interest  in  the  resuJ*. 
Thousands  of  spectators  assembled  on  the  Battery ;  and,  to  keep 
alive  the  excitement,  there  were  not  five  Englishmen  or  English- 
women in  the  city  who  did  not  appear  to  back  the  enterprise  of 
their  countrymen.  The  distance  run  (about  two  miles)  waa 
from  the  frigate  to  a  boat  anchored  in  the  Hudson,  and  thence  to 
another  which  lay  at  a  short  distanca  from  the  Castle  Garden, 
already  described.  On  board  of  the  latter,  tho  judges  (who,  it 
is  presumed,  were  of  both  nitic-  ,)  had  adopted  those  delicate 
symbols  of  victory  which  had  r  •  ;  ecently  been  pitted  against  each 
other  in  far  less  friendly  encounters,  i.  c.  the  national  flags.  The 
writer  and  his^friend,  who,  notwithstanding  his  philosophy,  felt 
great  interest  in  the  result,  took  their  stand  on  the  belvidere  of 
the  castle,  which  commanded  a  fine  view  of  the  whole  bay.  On 
thwr  right  hand  stood  a  young  American  naval  ofHcer,  and  on 
their  left  a  pretty  an^  highly  excited  youn^  Englishwoman. 
The  frigate  fired  a  gun,  and  the  two  b'/ats  were  seen  dashing 
ahead  at  the  signal.     One  soon  took  the  .ead,  and  maintained  it 

fn  #K«  on/l  r>f  flia  puna    Kanfiniv  Kir  i^oai.  n  /^ii  •••»»»  »<^  ~    .^.:i-    .1. L 

. _    .„    .,..^..    ...........    ...    „    -j.jc,   luuugi; 

the  oarsmen  came  in  pulling  only  with  one  hand  each.  For  some 
time,  the  distw*e*!  prevented  a  clear  view  of  which  was  likely  to 


REASONS  FOR  THE    SAME. 


167 


This  national  trait  can  neither  be  likened  to,  nor 
accounted  for,  by  any  of  those  causes  which  are  sup' 
posed  to  produce  the  approximating  qualities  in  some 
of  the  people  of  our  hemisphere,  ft  is  not  the  effect 
ot  climate,  since  it  exists  equally  in  45°  and  SQo  U 
13  not  the  phlegm  of  the  German,  for  no  one  ca^  b" 

Z'thTf^''"-'  ^'""^u'  '^^^^^''  ^"^  communicative 
than  the^ American  when  you  have  effected  the  easy 
ask  of  breaking  through  the  barrier  of  his  reserv/ 
t  cannot  be  the  insulated  pride  of  the  Spaniard* 
brooding  under  his  cloak  on  the  miserable  condtion 
of  to-day,  or  dreaming  of  the  glories  of  the  past ;  nor 
IS  It  the  repulsive  hauteur  of  the  Englishman,  fir  no 

JrllaL' T^'et  Js^^nh^^^^^^  \^V'^'  ^^^^ '''  ^^«  "^«  boat  of  the 

IrTA  uL         eyes  Of  the  fair  Englishwoman  danced  with  nleaBurP 
and  she  murmured  her  satisfaction  eo  audibly  as  to  7each  SlrJ 
of  al  near  her  The  writer  turned  to  see  the  effect  on  hfsrthth?JH 
neighbour.     He  was  smiling  at  the  feelin  ""rthe  ladv  but^^^^^ 

hall-pull,  let  the  rowers  come  from  where  they  would  »  The  fact 

fh"7mlnfi„^  V  ?^'*-  ,  ^'''  ^^Sli^'^  flagVar/ower Jd  umfd 
h.ee  manful  cheers  from  the  goal-boat,  which  was  no  other  than 
the  launch  of  the  Hu.^ar.  With  the  exception  of  a  ?ew  boys  the 
Amoncans,  though  ..  etly  much  elated,  made  no  alswT  and 
j   was  difficult  to  trac.  ihc  least  change  in  the  counlrmnc;s  of 

neVa'Fr.?/h"  ^^,^"^""»V\«  Batter5,the  writer  and  Sf  eni 
-net  a  French  gentleman  of  their  acqn,  i-^^nce  descending  the 
Broadway  to  witness  the  race.     Ho  hcU  up  boUi  hand? and 

7.i^^'\^v'l  ''y'^f  ^'-yf.  -"clol.r  >.  &is  error  ;:;  ex^ 
plained.  "Victors !"  he  exclaimed,  1  :.'<iag  around  him  in  ludU 
crous  surprise,"  I  could  have  sworn  by  the  gravity  of  every  face 
see,  that  the  Englishmen  had  beaten  you  half ^the  distance  •» 
r^iA^^V''*u~  Tr ","  ,"^  ^-'^•s  -'--t  Bumeining  was  said  of  an  ac- 

nothiir  tt  ""^''^;  Vr''"^  ''^''i  '^''  ^^'"^^^  P^^tends  to  know 
nothing,  but  of  which  he  is  sure  thcf  grave  crowd  by  which  he 
«^a.  surrounded  wan  quite  as  ignorant  as  himself       ^ 


168 


EFFECT  OF  RELIGIOUS  DOGMAS. 


lit   '< 


one  is  more  disposed  to  admit  of  the  perfect  equality 
of  his  fellow-creatures  than  the  native  of  this  country. 
By  some  it  has  been  supposed  to  be  the  fruits  of  the 
metaphysical,  religious  dogmas  and  stem  discipline 
that  were  long  taught  and  practised  in  so  many  of  the 
original  colonies.  That  the  religion  of  the  Puritans 
and  of  the  Friends  left  their  impressions,  is,  I  think, 
beyond  a  doubt ;  for  the  very  peculiarity  of  manner 
to  which  we  have  reference,  is  to  be  found,  in  differ- 
ent sections  of  the  Union,  modified  by  the  absence  or 
prevalence  of  their  self-mortifying  doctrines.  Still, 
one  finds  degrees  of  this  same  exterior  among  the 
Episcopalians  of  New-York,  the  Catholics  of  Mary- 
land, the  merchants  of  the  east,  the  great  landed  pro- 
prietors of  the  middle  States,  and  the  planters  of  the 
south.  It  is  rather  tempered  than  destroyed  by  the 
division  of  States,  of  religion,  or  of  habits.  It  is  said 
even  to  begin  to  exhibit  itself  among  the  French  of 
Louisiana,  who  are  already  to  be  distinguished  from 
their  kinsmen  in  Europe  by  greater  gravity  of  eye  and 
mien.  It  is  even  so  contagious,  that  no  foreigner  can 
long  dwell  within  its  influence  without  contracting 
more  or  less  of  its  exterior.  It  does  not  arise  from 
unavoidable  care,  since  no  people  have  less  reason  to 
brood  over  the  calamities  of  life.  There  is  no  Cas- 
sius-like  discontent  to  lead  the  minds  of  men  into  plots 
and  treasons ;  for,  from  the  time  I  entered  the  coun- 
try to  the  present  moment,  amidst  the  utmost  latitude 
of  political  discussion,  I  have  not  heard  even  a  whis- 
per against  the  great  leading  principles  of  the  gov- 
ernment.* 

In  despair  of  ever  arriving  at  the  solution  of  doubts 
which  so  completely  baffled  all  conjecture  and  expe- 


*  The  author  will  add,  nor  to  the  hour  of  his  departure.  Tlie 
Uniteti  States  of  America  are,  perhaps,  the  only  uuuuivy  in 
ohristendom  where  political  disaffection  does  not  in  a  jrreater  or 
•ess  dejj^ree  prevail. 


COLDNESS  OF  MANNERS  ACCOUNTED  TOR.     169 

rience  I  threw  myself  on  the  greater  observation  of 
Cadwallader  for  the  explanation  of  a  habit  which, 
the  more  I  reflected,  only  assumed  more  of  the  char- 
acter of  an  enigma.  His  answer  was  sufficiently  sen- 
tentious,  though,  when  pressed  upon  the  subject  he 
was  not  unwilling  to  support  it  by  reasons  that  cer- 
tainly  are  rather  plausible,  if  not  just.  To  the  question 
—  10  what  do  you  ascribe  the  characteristic  erave 
demeanour  of  your  countrymen?"  the  reply  was, 
lo  the  simplicity  of  common  sense!"  This  was 
startling  and  at  first,  perhaps,  a  little  offensive ;  but 
you  shall  have  his  reasons  in  his  own  words. 

"You  admit  yourself  that  the  peculiarity  which 
you  mention  is  solely  confined  to  manner.  The  host,' 
the  friend,  the  man  of  business,  or  the  lady  in  her 
drawing-room,  who  receives  you  with  less  emorewe- 
mnit  than  you  have  been  accustomed  to  meet  else- 
where, omits  no  duty  or  material  act  of  kindness. 
While  each  seems  to  enter  ksr  ^'rio  the  interests  of 
7onr  existence,  not  one  of  them  u  selfishJv  enffaeed 
in  the  exclusive  pursuits  of  his  own. 

"  Vvoile  the  Americans  have  lived  in  the  centre 
01  the  moral  worid,  their  distance  from  Evro^h,  anr* 
their  rcattered  population,  have  kept  therr:,*  f^   re- 
spects association,  in  comparative  retirement,    rhej 
have  had  great  leisure  for  reflection.   Even  England, 
which  has  so  long  and  so  richly  suppHed  us  with 
food  for  the  mind,  labours  under  a  mental  disadvan- 
tage which  is  not  known  here.     Her  artificial  and 
aged  institutions  require  the  prop  of  concerted  opin- 
ions, which,  if  it  be  not  fatal  to  change,  have  at  least 
acquired  an  influence  that  it  is  thought  dangerous  to 
disturb.     In  America,  no   such  restraint   has   ever 
been  laid  on  the  human  mind,  unless  it  might  be 
through  the  ordinary  operation  of  passing  prejudices. 
But  those  prejudices  have  always  been  limited  in 
their  duration,  and  have  never  possessed  the  imoor- 

VoL.  I.  Q         "^  ^ 


k-t 


»'  h 


1  ii 


170    COLDN£&S  OF  MANNERS  ACCOUNTED  TOR. 

tant  prerogative  of  exclusive  reverence.  Men  com- 
bated  them  at  will,  and  generally  with  impunity. 
Even  the  peculiar  maxims  of  the  monarchy  came  to 
us,  across  the  Atlantic,  weakened  by  distance  and 
obnoxious  to  criticism.  They  were  assailed,  shaken, 
and  destroyed. 

"  Thought  is  the  inevitable  fruit  of  a  state  of  being 
where  the  individual  is  thus  permitted  to  enjoy  the 
best  effects  of  the  highest  civilization,  with  as  little  as 
possible  of  its  disadvantages.     I  should  have  said 
thought  itself  was  the  reason  of  that  gravity  you  ob- 
serve, did  1  not  believe  it  is  more  true  to  ascribe  it 
to  the  nearest  approximate  quality  in  which  that 
thought  is  exhibited.     When  there  is  much  leisure, 
and  all  the  other  means  to  reflect  on  life,  apart  from 
those  temptations  which  hurry  us  into  its  vortex,  the 
mind^s  not  slow  to  strip  it  of  its  gloss,  and  to  arrive 
at  truths  that  lie  so  near  the  surface.    The  result  has 
been,  m  America,  to  establish  common  sense  as  the 
sovereign  guide  of  the  public  will.   In  the  possession 
ol  this  quality,  the  nation  is  unrivalled.     It  tempers 
Its  rehgion,  its  morals,  its  politics,  and  finally,  as  in 
the  case  in  question,  its  manners.  The  first  is  equally 
without  bigotry  or  licentiousness ;    the  second   are 
generally  consistent  and  sound ;  the  third  are  purely 
democratic  without  the  slightest  approach  to  disor- 
der ;•  and  the  last  are,  as  you  see  them,  less  attractive 
to  you,  perhaps,  because  unusual ;  but  more  in  con- 
sonance with  >common  sense  than  your  own,  inas- 
much as  they  fail  of  an  exaggeration  which  our  reason 
would  condemn.    Many  nations  excel  us  in  the  arts, 
but  none  m  the  truths  of  human  existence.    The  for- 
mer constitute  the  poetry  of  life,  and  they  are  desir- 
able so  far  as  they  temper  society ;  but  when  they 
possess  it  to  the  exclusion  of  still  nobler  objects,  their 
dominion  is  dangerous,  and  may  easily  become  fatal. 
i.iKc   an  ocner  pursuits  in  which  the  imagination 


^-t^^^.^ 


COLDNESS  or  MANNERS  ACCOUNTED  FOR.   171 

Si  wri?^**'';J*'Y-  u^"^^  ^  *""^^"^^  t^  diminish  the 
dnectness  with  which  reason  regard  very  thine  that 
appertains  to  our  nature.  ^      ^ 

oerf^rf  n"fv  ^^fl  ^^  "^^hing  incompatible  between 
perfect  political  freedom  and  high  rational  refine- 

Tomnllif "" ''  •  ^'*^!i"^^  ^  ?'^^*^"  addiction  to  factitious 
compla isance  m  a  despotism  than  in  a  republic.  The 
artificial  deference  which,  in  the  former,  is  exacted 
by  him  who  rules,  descends  through  all  the  gradations 
of  society,  until  its  tone  becomes  imparted  to  an  en 

Eu'rnn.  Th  .^  '^'""^  ''  ^^"  be  found"  by  referring  to 
Europe  that  manners,  though  certainly  modified  by 
national  temperament  and  other  causes,  have  becomi 
artificial  in  proportion  as  the  sovereign  power  has 
exercised  ,ts  mfluence.  Though  France,  \inder  ?he 
old  reginie,  was  not  m  theory  more  monarchical  than 
many  of  the  adjoimng  countries,  the  monarch,  in  fact 
filled  a  greater  space  in  the  public  mind.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  find  any  other  nation  in  which  sacrifices 
so  heavy  mdeed,  ,t  may  be  said,  st,  fatal,  were  daily 

In  ^Z%v''%u''  ^PP^^^"^^«'  as  under  the  reign 
of  Louis  XIV.    They  were  only  the  more  dangerous 

ITli?     as  the  great  advancement  of  the  nation 
made  the  most  gifted  men  auxiliary  to  the  propagation 
of  deception    The  part  which  Racine  with  his  piety, 
Boileau  with  h,s  wit    and  even  I^^ontaine  with  his 
boasted  simplicity,  did  not  disdain  to  play,  humbler 
men  might  well  desire  to  imitate.    The'con'jequenc^^^^ 
ot  this  factitious  tone  m  manners  prevail  to  the  present 
day  in  France,  which,  notwithstanding  her  vast  im- 
provements,  has  yet  a  great  deal  to  concede  to  the 
immutable  and  sacred  empire  of  truth,  before  either 
i-eligion,   government,   or  morals,   shall   reach  that 
degree  of  perfection  which  each  and  all  may  hope  to 
attain.     However  agreeable  habitual   deference  to 
.  ..,„^.  „cv.wxiic,  uiv;  pleasure  is  bought  too  deariy, 
^^  hen  a  just  knowledge  of  ourselves,  deceptive  views 
ot  Me,  or  even  of  sacred  liberty  itself,  may.be  the 


i! 


ti 


i 


■l'  ■*•'  '  y 


1  ■■■ 


172        COLDNE.SS  OF  MANNERS  ACCOUNTED  TOR. 

price.  I  should  cite  America  as  furnishing  the  very 
reverse  of  this  proposition.  Here,  without  pretend- 
ing to  any  infaihbility  of  judgment,  all  matters  are 
mooted  with  the  most  fearless  indifference  of  the 
consequences.  In  the  tossings  and  agitations  of  the 
public  opinion,  the  fine  and  precious  grains  6f  truth 
gradually  get  winnowed  from  the  chaff  of  empiricism 
and  interestedness,  and,  to  pursue  the  figure,  literally 
become  the  mental  aliment  of  the  nation.  After  the 
mind  is  thoroughly  imbued  with  healthful  moral 
truths,  it  admits  the  blandishments  and  exaggerations 
of  conventional  politeness  with  great  distrust,  and 
not  unfrequently  with  distaste.  When  the  principle 
is  pushed  into  extremes,  men  become  Trappists,  and 
Puritans,  and  Quakers.  Now,  in  this  respect,  every 
American,  taken  of  course  with  the  necessary  allow- 
ances, is,  more  or  less,  a  Puritan.  He  will  not  tell 
you  he  is  enchanted  to  see  -ou,  when,  in  truth,  he  is 
perfectly  indifferent  to  the  matter;  his  thoughts  are 
too  direct  for  so  gross  ^  u  ception.  Although  he  may 
not  literally  mean  wliiit  he  says,  he  means  something 
much  nearer  to  it  diai)  one  meets  with  in  what  is 
called  good  society  an^  where  else. 

"  The  native  of  New-England  has  certainly  more 
of  this  pecuhar  exterior  than  the  native  of  any  other 
part  of  our  country.  This  difference  is  unquestionably 
a  result  of  the  manners  of  the  Puritans.  But  you  are 
right  in  believing  that  it  is,  more  or  less,  to  be  seen 
in  the  air  of  most  Americans ;  perhaps  of  all,  with 
the  exception  of  those  who  have  lived  from  infancy 
in  what  is  called  the  most  polished,  which  of  itself 
implies  the  most  artificial  circles. 

"  A  great  deal  of  this  exterior  is  also  hereditary. 
The  Englishman  is  the  man  of  the  coldest  aspect  in 
Europe,  when  you  compare  his  ordinary  tempera- 
ment with  his  deportment.  Has  not  the  Englishman 
«  sv«iivtvi  Tn^vv  xji  iiic  uiuii  miy  uiijur  man  m  your 
hemisphere  ?    If  not,  he  has  been  singularly  fortunate 


COLDNESS  OP  MANNERS    COU 'TED  TOR.    173 

in  preceding  all  his  (  ompeti^ors  in  i  ,e  enioyment 
of  its  most  material  advantag    . 

"  France  has  bet  .iproverbial  for  grace  of  manner, 
jut  the  manners  of  Prune  r  are  u  id(  rgoing  a  sensible 
change,   under  the  influence  oi  the  new  order  of 
thmgs      Her  gentlrmen  are  becoming  grave  as  they 
berome  thoughtful.     Any  one  may  observe,  in  p  ,s. 
m- through  French  sodety,  the  difference  between 
tbe  two  schools.     1  confess  that  my  taste  is  for  *he 
niudern.     I  have  been  so  much  accustomed  to  th 
simphcity  of  American  manners,  as  to  find  somethinii 
that  IS  congenial  in  *he  well-bred   English,  that  ik 
vvar.anc  m  the  well-bred  French  deportment,  and 
precistH'  f     the  reason  fb^t  it  is  still  a  little  more 
natural,     .^o  far  as  this  t        action  goes,  I  honestly 
behove      le  Englishman  the   advantage.     But 

with  ^jn'>urable  exceptions,  it  will  not  do  to  push 
bnghsh  complaisance  too  far.  Perhaps,  if  we  at- 
tempt a  comparison,  I  shall  be  better  understood. 

"  The  Englishman  and  the  American  have,  in  a 
great  degree,  a  common  manner.  I  do  not  now 
speak  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  two  countries,  for 
much  intercourse  is  rapidly  assimilating  the  class 
every  where,  but  of  the  deportment  of  the  two  entire 
nations.  You  will  find  both  cold.  There  is  certainly 
no  great  difference  in  the  men,  though  more  may  be 
observed  in  the  women.  The  English  say  that  our 
women  are  much  too  cold,  and  we  say  that  thr'  is  are 
artificial  without  always  being  graceful.  Of  <.ourse, 
1  speak  of  the  mass,  and  not  of  exceptions  in  either 
case.  Our  women  are,  as  you  see,  eminently  femi- 
nine, in  air,  conversation,  and  feeling,  and  they  are 
also  eminently  natural.  You  may  find  them  cold,  for, 
to  be  honest,  they  find  you  a  little  artificial ;  but, 
with  their  countrymen,  they  are  frank,  sincere,  unre- 
served and  natural,  while  I  challenge  the  world  to 
produce  finer  instances  of  genuine,  shrinking  delicacy^ 
or  of  greater  feminine  propriety. 

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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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174   COLDNESS  OF  MANNERS  ACCOUNTED  TOR. 

"The  French  gentleman  has  certainly  one  advan* 
tage  over  his  island  neighbour.  He  is  uniformly 
polite ;  his  conventional  habits  having  apparently 
gotten  the  better  of  all  his  native  humours.  You  are 
sure,  so  far  as  manner  is  concerned,  of  finding  him 
to-morrow  as  you  left  him  to-day.  There  may  be 
some  question  on  this  point  v^rith  the  Englishman,  but 
none  with  the  American.  Common  sense  is  quite  as 
equal  as  good-breeding.  The  American  gentleman 
is  less  graceful  than  the  Frenchman,  and  maybe  even 
less  conventional  in  his  air  than  the  Enghshman,  bu*. 
he  is  commonly  gravely  considerate  of"  the  feelings. 
Were  he  disposed  to,  abuse  his  situation,  his  country- 
men would  not  tolerate  his  airs.  I  have  already  told 
^ou  that  humanity  is  a  distinctive  feature  of  Amer- 
ican intercoui-se.  The  men  of  secondary  manners 
ipay  be  more  subdued  in  air  than  those  of  Europe, 
but  it  is  altogether  confined  to  appearance.  No  man 
is  kinder  in  all  his  feelings  or  habits** 

'^  But  this  digression  is  leading  me  from  what  you 
call  the  peculiar  coldness  of  the  American  manner. 
The  word  is  not  well  chosen,  since  coldness  implies 
a  want  bf  feeling,  and  want  of  feeling  cannot  exist 
where  every  concession  is  made  to  humanity,  except 
in  words  and  looks.  Mr.  Hodgson  says,  he  does  not 
think  the  habit  of  which  he  complains  is  to  be  seen 
in  the  better  classes  of  the  men,  though  he  appears 


*  The  writer  landed  in  England,  on  his  return  to  Europe 
CurioBity  led  him  to  the  gallery  of  the  House  cf  Commons.  The 
member  on  the  floor  was  a  stranger  to  him.  A  well-dressed 
man  stood  at  his  elbow,  and  he  ventured  to  ask  him  if  he  knew 
who  wau  speaking.  "  No,"  was  the  answer,  and  it  was  given 
with  an  elevation  and  a  peculiar  sentenliousness  of  voice  which 
cannot  be  committed  to  paper.  The  writer  was  inauced  to 
repeat  the  experiment,  simply  as  an  experiment,  four  times,  and 
always  with  the  same  success,  except  that  in  the  last  instance  he 
obtained  the  name,  but  in  a  note  pitched  in  the  same  key.  He 
i*  told  to  say,  that  the  coldest  looking  man  in  America  would 
have  answered  in  a  tone  of  more  '■'■civiliaatioii.^^ 


America  would 


COLDNESS  or  MANNERS  ACCOUNTED  FOR.         175 

unwillingly  enough  too,  to  admit,  that  the  females  are 
not  quite  so  free  from  the  charge.     Mr.  Hodgson,  it 
will  be  remembered,  was  a  bachelor,  and  he  ought 
to  have  known  that  this  is  a  class  of  men  far  less  in 
demand  in  America  than  in  England.     Without  ap- 
pearing to  make  the  smallest  allowance  for  the  mo- 
mentary warmth  that  is  always  excited  by  countrymen 
meeting  in  a  foreign  land,  he  puts  the  seeming  cordi- 
ality of  tlie  wives  of  certain  English  soldiers  whon 
he  met  at  Niagara,  in  strong  contrast  with  the  cola 
demeanour  of  the  wives  of  the  thousands  of  Ameri- 
cans whom  he  had  just  left.     This  gentleman  does 
not  pretend  that  there  was  actually  more  of  feeling 
in  the  one  case  than  in  the  other;  he  seems  perfectly 
willing  to  ascribe  the  difference  to  its  true  cause,  viz., 
a  simple  difference  in  manner.    Just  to  this  extent  I 
admit  the  justice  of  his  remark,  and  I  have  endeav- 
oured to  give  you  some  reasons  for  its  existence. 
One  would  not  gather  from  the  book  of  Mr.  Hodgson, 
rational  and  candid  as  it  is,  that  the  author  had  ever 
seen  many  countries  besides  his  own ;  if  he  has,  he 
must  be  aware  that  the  air  and  manner  of  a  French 
paysanne  would  still  be  more  likely  to  flatter  his  self* 
complacency  than  the  cordiality  of  the  soldiers'  wives. 
It  would  not  be  difficult  for  you  and  me  to  quote  still 
stronger  instances  of  the  extent  to  which  this  manner 
is  carried  among  different  people,  and  people,  too, 
who  have  no  very  extraordinary  reputation  either  for 
morals  or  civilization. 

"  I  think  it  will  be  found,  too,  on  reflection,  that 
the  sub4oed  manner  (the  word  is  more  just  than  cold) 
of  the  Americans,  is  more  owing  to  the  simple  and 
common  sense  habit  they  have  of  viewing  things,  than 
even  to  rusticity,  or  indeed  to  any  other  cause.  It 
cannot  be  the  former,  since  it  ig  to  be  traced  among 
those  who  have  passed  their  lives  in  the  most  nolishea 
intercourse  in  the  cities  no  less  than  iii  the  country, 
and  amid  elegance  as  well  as  rural  simplicity.    While 


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176        COLDNESS  or  MANNERS  ACCOUNTED  FOft. 

we  have  yery  few  certainly  who  devote  their  leisure 
to  the  exclusive  cultivation  of  the  mere  refinements 
of  life,  there  is  perhaps  a  smaller  degree  of  rustic 
awkwiiiraness  in  the  countiy  than  can  be  found  among 
an  equal  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  any  other 
nation.     The  very  quality  which  keeps  down  the 
superfluous  courtesy  of  the  upper,  has  an  agency  in 
elevating  the  manners  of  the  lower  classes,  who,  con- 
sidering their  situations,  are  at  all  times  surprisingly 
self-possessed  and  at  their  ease.    A  far  more  just  ob- 
jection to  the  social  usages  of  the  Americans,  might 
be  discovered  in  the  roug;h  and  hardy  mannerin  which 
they  support  their  opinions,  than  in  this  absence  of 
assumed  cordiality.     The  latter,  though  it  may  be- 
come necessary  by  indulgence,  can,  after  all,  only 
impose  upon  a  novice,  whereas  the  former  may  easily 
become  offensive,  without  in  the  slightest  degree  ad- 
vancing what  they  urge.     But  it  is  so  difficult,  and 
even  so  dangerous,  to  say  how  far  courtesy  shall 
infringe  on  truth,  that  one  can  tolerate  a  little  incon- 
venience to  favour  the  latter;   and  depend  on  it, 
though  the  practice  is  often  excessively  unpleasant  in 
the  individual  (and  much  oftener  here  than  in  Eu- 
rope), it  is  a  sound,  healthful,  national  failing,  that 
purchases  great  good  at  a  small  price." 

I^hall  make  no  comments  on  the  opinions  of  my 
friend.  There  is,  however,  one  thing  that  may  be 
said  on  the  subject  which  will  go  to  prove  the  justice 
of  his  theory.  There  is,  at  least,  nothing  conventional 
in  this  coldness  of  manner  of  his  countrymen.  .  Men 
do  not  admit  it  as  a  part  of  their  gentifity ;  Btr  it  has 
altogether  the  air  of  being  either  the  effect  of  their 
national  temperament,  or,  as  Cadwallader  would 
prove,  of  habits  that  proceed  from  a  reflection  so 
general  and  uniform,  as  to  have  perfectly  acquired 
the  simplicity  and  force  of  nature^  I  think  also  that 
he  has  not  laid  sufficient  stress  on  the  eff*ect  of  repub- 
lican institutions  and  the  want  of  a  court ;  but  one 


FEELING    FOR    LA    FAYETTE. 


177 


cannot  expect  so  thorough  a  democrat  to  speak  with 
much  reverence  of  the  latter.  He  has  explained  that, 
by  the  prevalence  of  "  common  sense,"  he  does  not 
mean  that  every  man  in  America  is  vi^ise  enough  to 
discriminate  between  the  substance  and  the  shadow 
of  things,  but  that  so  many  are,  as  to  have  given  a 
tone  to  the  general  deportment  of  the  whole :  a  case 
that  may  very  well  exist  in  a  reading  and  instructed 
nation. 


TO  THE  COUNT  JULES  DE  BtTBlZY, 


New- York, 

From  the  hour  that  we  landed  in  America,  to  the 
present  moment,  the  voices  of  men,  the  journals,  and 
the  public  bodies,  have  been  occupied  in  celebrating 
the  work  of  national  gratitude.  The  visit  of  La 
Fayette,  his  ancient  services,  his  appearance,  uis 
sayings,  his  tact,  his  recollection  of,  and  meeting  with 
veterans  whom  he  had  known  under  other  and  more 
adverse  circumstances,  are  the  constant  themes  of 
press  and  tongue.  The  universal  sentiment,  and  the 
various  scenes  to  which  it  has  given  birth,  have  no 
failed  to  elicit  many  sparks  of  that  sort  of  feeling 
which  is  creditable  to  human  nature,  since  it  proves 
that  man,  with  all  his  selfishness  and  depravity,  is  the 
repository  of  a  vast  deal  that  is  generous  and  noble. 
Two  or  three  little  anecdotes  have  come  to  my  ears 
that  may  serve  to  amuse,  if  not  to  edify  you. 

One  of  the  familiar,  and  rprtninlr  nnf  iho.  lant,4 
touchmg  manners,  chosen  by  the  Americans,  to  evince 
their  attachment  to  La  Fayette,  who  has  been  well 


u 


178 


ANECDOTE. 


termed  the  "  nation's  guest,"  is  by  making  offerinss 
of  the  labours  of  their  own  hands,  in  the  shape  of  a 
thousand  trifling  artictes  that  may  affect  his  personal 
comfort,  or  at  least  manifest  their  zeal  in  its  behalf. 
Among  others,  it  seems  that  a  hatter  had  even  gone 
80  far  as  to  send  a  hat,  or  hats,  to  France,  as  his  por- 
tion of  these  little  contributions.  This  kindness  was 
remembered,  and  a  short  time  after  their  arrival 
M.  George  La  Fayette  went  to  the  shop  of  the  indi- 
vidual, and  ordered  a  supply  for  himself.  The  hat 
was  furnished  as  a  matter  of  course,  with  the  direct- 
ness and  simplicity  that  characterize  these  people. 
The  next  thing  was  to  demand  the  bill ;  for  you  will 
readily  understand  that  the  motive  of  M.  La  Fayette, 
was  to  patronize  a  tradesman  who  had  been  so  at' 
tentiye  to  his  father.  « I  was  paid  forty  years  ago 
for  all  the  hats  I  can  make  for  any  of  the  family  of 
La  Fayette,"  was  the  answer. 

A  gentleman,  who,  from  former  acquaintance  and 
his  situation  in  life,  is  much  around  the  person  of  the 
General,  has  related  another  instance  of  the  deep  and 
nearly  filial  interest  that  is  taken  in  his  comfort,  by  all 
classes  of  the  citizens.    It  is  well  known  that  in  com- 
mon with  so  many  others,  the  fortune  of  La  Fayette 
suffered  by  the  changes  in  France,  no  less  than  by 
his  own  sacrifices.    This  circumstance  had,  as  usual, 
been  exaggerated,  until  an  impression  has  obtained 
among  many  of  the  less  informed,  that  he  is  actually 
subjected  to  personal  privations.     Their  *  guest'  ap- 
peared  among  the  Americans  simply  clad,  in  a  coat 
of  black,  which  was  not  of  a  particularly  fine  fabric, 
and  with  other  habiliments  equally  plain.     Now,  it 
so  happens,  that  the  American  who  is  the  least  above 
the  labouring  classes,  habitually  wears  a  finer  cloth 
than  the  corresponding  classes  even  in  Ehgland,  with 
perhaps  an  exception  in  favnnr  of  fH<u  ,r«„,r  K;«.i,^of 
m  the  latter  country.     This  peculiarity  in  the  attire 
01  La  t  ayette,  struck  the  eye  of  a  mechanic,  who  did 


LA  FAYETTE  RETURNS  FROM  BOSTON.     179 

not  fail  to  ascribe  it  to  a  want  of  means.    He  sought 

an  opportunity  to  confer  with  Colonel from 

whose  mouth  I  have  the  anecdote,  and  after  a  little 
embarrassment  and  circumlocution,  explained  his  ob- 

ject.  "I  see,  Colonel ,  that  our  friend  has  not 

as  good  a  coat  as  he  ought  to  wear,  and  I  think  he 
should  be  the  best  dressed  man  in  America.  You 
knovy  very  well  that  I  am  nothing  but  a  plain  me- 
chanic, and  that  I  should  not  know  what  to  say  to  a 
man  like  La  Fayette  in  such  a  case  as  this ;  but  you  " 
are  a  gentleman,  and  can  smooth  the  thing  over  as 
It  should  be,  and  I'll  thank  yoii  just  to  get  him  a  suit 
01  the  best,  in  any  way  you  please,  and  then  the  bill 
can  be  given  to  me,  and  nothing  further  shall  ever  be 
said  of  the  matter." 

I  might  fill  a  volume  with  similar  instances  of  at- 
tachment and  affection,  with  addresses,  processions 
and  ceremonies,  which  have  occurred  since  the  re- 
ception of  the  veteran  Frenchman,  amongst  these 
usually  quiet  and  rarely  excited  people  A  brief 
description  of  a  fite  at  which  I  was  present,  and 
which  is,  m  some  measure,  connected  with  my  own 
movements,  must,  however,  suffice  for  the  present, 
shall  describe  it  both  for  its  peculiai:  nature,  and 
because  it  may  serve  to  give  a  general  idea  of  the 
taste,  manners,  and  appearance  of  the  Americans,  id 
similar  scenes. 

At  the  return  of  La  Fayette  from  his  excursion  it 
boston,  the  citizens  of  New- York  determined  to  en 
tertain  him  m  their  collective  capacity.  He  had  been 
teasted  by  corporate  bodies  innumerable;  but  this 
ball  was  to  be  given  by  subscription,  and  to  include 
as  many  of  all  the  different  classes  of  society,  as  could" 
well  assemble  in  the  place  chosen  for  its  celebration 
1  hat  spot  was  the  abandoned  fortress  already  men- 
tioned by  the  name  of  thp  raafl*.  a^^A^r-  «»  4.-ui  _i_  -^ 

Where  he  landed.     The  castle,  you  will  remember, 
stands  on  an  artificial  island,  a  few  hundred  feet  from 


180 


ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  THE  PETE, 


I,  t         1' 


the  promenade,  that  is  called  the  Battery.  The 
work  itself  is  a  building  of  dark  red  freestone,  almost 
circular,  and  I  should  think  near  two  hundred  feet  in 
diameter.  Most  of  this  space  is  occupied  by  the  area 
in  the  centre,  the  work  itself  being  little  more  than  a 
covered  battery,  which  by  subsequent  changes  has 
been  transformed  into  alcoves,  and  has  a  fine  terrace, 
or  rather  belvidere,  around  the  whole  of  its  summit. 
A  tall  spar  wais  raised  in  the  centre  of  the  area,  and 
a  vast  awning  was  constructed  of  the  sails  of  a  ship 
of  the  line,  to  cover  the  whole.  The  interior  side 
of  this  awning  was  concealed  by  flags,  arranged  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  give  a  soft,  airy  finish  to  the 

,  wide  vault,  and  a  roof  that  inclined  inwards  from 
the  ramparts  for  a  little  distance  was  covered  with 
gradins^Mke  the  seats  of  an  amphitheatre.  I'hus  the 
interior  might  be  said  to  be  divided  into  several  parts. 
There  was  the  great  salle,  or  the  area  of  th^  garden : 
the  immense,  low,  vaulted,  circular  corridor,  within 
the  work ;  the  gradins,  a  little  below  the  belvidere, 
supported  by  pillars,  and  the  belvidere  itself,  all  be- 
neath the  awning.  In  addition  to  these,  on  the  side 
of  the  castle  liext  the  city,  is  a  range  of  apartments, 
some  of  which  have  been  added  since  the  new  des- 
tination of  the  building,  and  are  on  a  scale  suited  to 
its  present  uses. 

Cadwallader  procured  tickets  for  us  both,  and  at 
ten  o'clock  we  proceeded  to  the  centre  of  attraction. 
Two  of  the  principal  streets  of  the  city  terminate 
near  each  other  directly  in  face  of  the  castle  garden. 
The  carriages  entered  the  battery  (the  promenade) 

,by  one,  and  left  it  by  the  other.  Temporary  fences 
were  erected  to  keep  the  coachmen  in  the  line  aftei 
they  had  arrived  on  the  mall.  I  can  say  with  truth, 
that  f  never  knew  a  company  set  down  and  taken  up 
with  more  facility  and  order.  You  will  recollect 
there  were  six  thousand  guests,  a  number  that  is 
rarely  exceeded  at  any  European  entertainment.  The 


ORDER  IN  SOCIETY  WITHOUT  PRECEDENCY.   181. 

?"i!!i'^*'!f^  prevailed,  is  a  sufficient  proof  fhat  estab- 

S  for  r  /"  '^'n*^  "'."  "°^  ^*  ^"  necessary,  at 
least,  for  the  tranquil hty  of  its  ordinary  intercourse. 

InUr!  T*"  "°  g^n.rf'arme.,  though  I  was  told  some 
police  officers  were  present,  and  yet  I  saw  no  at- 
tempts  to  break  the  line  or  any  other  instances  of 
those  impertinences,  with  which  coachmen  with  us 
are  apt  to  emulate  what  they  conceive  to  be  the  im- 
portance  of  their  masters.  Indeed,  all  my  experience 
goes  to  show,  that  the  simplest  way  of  destroying  the 
bickerings   and  heart-burnings  o/  precedency ^and 
rank,  is  to  destroy  their  usages  altogether.    No  doubt 
human  nature  is  just  as  active  among  these  republic- 
ans, as  it  IS  m  England  or  in  Germany,  and  that  A 
secretly  envies  or  derides  the  claims  of  B. ;  but  it 
wo^Id  be  perfectly  absurd  in  either  of  the  parties  to 

fhP  wL"}/       i/lP°'"'^  °^  *^^^"  pretensions,  since 
the  world  would  be  very  apt  to  tell  them  both,  the 
distinction  you  enjoy  is  only  by  sufferance,  and  dig- 
nihed  and  quiet  behaviour  is  one  requisite  for  its 
possession  at  all.    Thus,  you  see,  however  rancorous 
may  be  the  rivalry,  third  parties  are  at  all  events 
spared  the  exhibition  of  its  folly.     But  this  truth  is 
abundantly  proved  in  the  saloons  of  your  own  fasci- 
nating  metropolis,  where  one  is  daily  elbowed  bv 
peers  without  being  the  least  conscious  of  the  hon. 
ours  he  IS  receiving,  and  where  society  is  kept  so 
perfectly  and  so  admirably  distinct  from  government 
We  alighted  at  the  bridge  which  connecl  the  iTland 
to  the  battery.     By  the  aid  of  awnings,  carpets  and 
other  accessories,  this   passage,  over  which  armed 
heels  had  so  often  trod,  and  lumbering  wheels  rum- 
bled  with  their  groaning  loads  of  artillery,  was  con- 
verted  into  a  long,  and  prettily  decorated   gallery., 
ihe  light  was  judiciously  kept  down,  so  as  to  give 
r.„cv  c  ouuuucu  anu  pieasing,  and  a  strikingly 
romantic  effect.     You  caught,  in  passing,  glimpses  of 
y7l  7'  ^'^""^  '*'  T^^  washing  in  dull  con 


182 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  FETE. 


•f 


■11 


.  f 


k 

y 


r 


Si  - 1     t    n 


trast  to  the  strains  of  distant  music.  Steam-boats 
were  landing  the  guests  by  hundreds,  on  the  narrow 
terrace  which  surrounds  the  base  of  the  castle,  and  a 
never-ceasing  current  of  gaily  dressed  and  graceful 
beings  were  gliding  from  out  the  darkness  on  either 
hand,  or  along  the  gallery,  towards  a  flood  of  light 
which  was  shed  through  the  massive  frowning  portal 
of  the  fortress,  as  a  sort  of  beacon  to  direct  our  foot- 
steps. Such  a  sight  was  not  likely  to  fail  of  its  effect 
on  one  as  weakly  constituted  as  myself,  dear  Jules, 
and  abandoning  the  pensive  and  deliberative  step 
with  which  I  had  loitered  to  contemplate  the  pecu- 
liar and  pleasing  approach  to  the  scene,  I  hastened 
on  to  plunge  at  once  into  its  gayest  vortex.  I  know 
not  whether  it  was  owing  to  the  contrast  between 
the  judicious  gloom  of  the  romantic  gallery  and  the 
brilhant  salle,  to  the  magnitude  of  that  salle,  or  to 
the  fa'ct  that  with  European  complaisance  I  had 
expected  no  very  imposing  exhibition  of  taste  and 
splendour  among  these  people,  but,  certain  is  it,  that, 
though  far  from  unaccustomed,  as  you  well  know,  to 
fetes  and  spectacles,  I  never  entered  one  whose  coup 
d'^ml  produced  an  effect  like  this.  As  we  hurried 
towards  the  gate  in  hundreds,  (for  two  or  three  steam- 
boats had  just  discharged  their  living  cargoes),  I  had 
been  seized  with  a  very^  natural  apprehension,  that 
the  whole  was  to  terminate  in  one  of  those  well- 
dressed  throngs  in  which  it  would  be  impossible  to 
see,  hear,  converse,  dance,  or,  in  short,  to  be  alive 
to  any  other  sensations  than  those  of  excessive  heat, 
ennui,  and,  perhaps,  a  head-ache.  But  though  so 
many  poured  along  the  approaches,  like  water  gush- 
ing through  some  narrow  passage,  the  rush,  the  crowd, 
and  the  inconvenience  ceased  as  you  entered  the 
principal  space,  like  the  tumult  of  that  element  sub- 
siding as  it  emerges  into  a  broad  basin.  There  were, 
probably,  five  thousand  persons  in  the  salle  when  we 
entered,  and  yet  there  was  abundant  room  for  all  the 


IMMENSE    ASSEMBLV APPEARANCE,   ETC.*       183 

usual  pursuits  of  such  an  assembly.  Some  thirty, 
or  iorty,  or  fifty,  sets  of  quadrilles  were  in  graceful 
motion,  hundreds  were  promenading  around  the  dan- 
cers, and,  hterally,  thousands  were  hanging  over  them 
on  the  bclvidere  and  among  the  gradins,  looking  down 
with  the  complacency  of  those  benignant  beines  to 
whom  poets  give  a  habitation  in  the  clouds. 

It  IS,  perhaps,  not  saying  much  for  the  self-posses- 
sion of  two  travellers  who  had  passed  throui^h  so 
many  similar  scenes,  but  it  is,  nevertheless,  strictly 
true,  that  both  Cadwallader  and  myself,  instead  of 
passing  on  with  suitable  deference  to  the  rest  of  the 
guests,  came  to  a  dead  halt  on  the  threshold  of  this 
scene,  and  stood,  near  a  minute,  gazing  around  us  and 
upwards,  with  wonder.     We  had,  however,  the  con- 
solation to  discover  that  we  were  not  alone  in  our 
underbred  surprise,  for  a  hundred  pretty  exclama- 
tions that  escaped  prettier  lips,  and  the  immense 
pressure  of  the  crowd  at  the  spot  where  our  steps 
had  been  arrested,  apprised  us  that  the  sensatioa  was 
common  to  all.     Escaping  from  this  throng,  we  had 
leisure  to  study  the  details  which  had  produced  so 
imposing  a  tout-ensemble. 

An  immense  cloud  of  flags,  composed  of  all  the 
colours  of  the  rainbow  intermingled,  vis  waving 
gently  in  the  upper  air,  shadowing  the  area  at  an 
elevation  of  not  less  than  seventy  feet.  The  enor- 
mous spar  which  supported  this  canopy  of  ensigns 
had  been  converted  into  the  shaft  of  an  immense 
lustre,  whose  several  parts  were  composed  of  entire 
chandeliers.  From  these  were  streaming  the  floods 
ot  noon-day  light  which  gave  to  the  centre  of  the  salle 
Its  extraordinary  brilliancy,  while  countless  shaded 
and  coloured  lamps  shed  a  fainter  and  softer  glow  on 
those  parts  of  the  scene  which  taste  and  contrast 
renuired  to  l   >  Icpnf  /Inwm       ri;^fs«j-K,  ;^  c ,x    /•  .-, 

entrance  was  a  double  flight  of  steps  Cone  of  half  a 
which  led  to  the  eradins  ai 


g» 


the  belvidere) 


*i  v|  .r 


I    ! 
?    I 


r 


1   •! 

il 

1 

"  '1 

■  'k 

w 

'     f        ►  . 

'ftnl 

'    i              JIM 

■ '"'  i        m 

1   i 

-^  m 

184     LA  FAYETTE HIS  ENTRANCE  AND  HECEPTION. 

Beneath  this  double  flight,  a  marquee  of  the  dimen- 
sions of  a  small  chamber  had  been  arranged  for  the 
particular  reception  of  the  guest.  It  was  gaily  deco- 
rated ;  containing  a  supper-table,  sofas,  a  chandelier, 
and,  in  short,  all  the  garniture  of  a  separate  room. 
The  curtains  were  withdrawn  in  such  a  manner,  that 
any  who  chose  might  examine  its  interior.  Opposite 
to  this  again,  and  directly  over  the  portal,  was  the 
orchestra,  appended  to  the  side  of  the  building  which 
contained  the  eating  apartments,  and  the  ordinary 
dwelling  of  the  place. 

Shortly  after  we  had  entered,  La  Fayette  arrived. 
The  music  changed  to  a  national  air,  the  gay  sets 
dissolved  as  by  a  charm,  and  the  dancers  who  had 
been  dispersed  over  the  floor  of  the  salle  formed  a 
lane,  whose  sides  were  composed  of  masses  that 
might  have  contained  two  thousand  eager  faces  each. 
Through  this  gay  multitude  the  old  man  slowly  pass- 
ed, giving  and  receiving  the  most  cordial  and  aflfec- 
tionate  salutations  at  every  step.  I  had  not  seen  him 
since  his  departure  for  the  east.  But  though  the 
freshness  of  his  reception  was  past,  his  presence  had 
lost  none  of  its  influence.  To  me  he  appeared  some 
venerable  and  much  respected  head  of  a  vast  family, 
who  had  come  to  pass  an  hour  amid  their  innocent 
and  gay  revels.  He  was  literally  like  a  father  among 
his  children. 

The  assemblage  was  composed  of  every  class  in 
the  country,  with  the  exception  of  those  perhaps  who 
are  compelled  to  seek  their  livelihood  by  positive 
bodily  labour.  Still  there  was  no  awkwardness  ap- 
parent, no  presumption  on  the  part  of  the  one,  nor 
any  arrogance  on  that  of  others.  All  passed  off" 
simply,  harmoniously,  and  with  the  utmost  seeming 
enjoyment. 

My  friend,  who  is  very  universally  known,  was 
,.^  -"-V  ov^^j/  uy  swuic  laii  uuc,  ur  suiiic  mail, 

who,  to  the  eye  at  least,  had  the  port  and  bearing  of 


RECEPTION. 


NATURE  or  THE  COMPANY.         jgj 

a  gentleman.    "Who  is  fhaf  ?"  i  o.i    j  l- 

had  paused  an  instanf    n  !       i  ^^^"^  ^''"'  ""^^^^  ^e 

Dutch  patrician,  of  our  si^  ""^ /■•<""   the  old 
sweet  creature   on    h?,  V        '■"I'"  ""^'^  "'a 
enough  to  re"afn  hL  tn    ™'   "J'°  ^"^  ^ad  power 

Europe,  ..ndwho'^^Thtb^ri:  a^d/:!^  '?"'  "":""='' 
my  own."     "  Am  that""  Yrl  r  ""'  ''°""n  "f 

feian,"  rcturntv   r.^      ii ' '^"""•"JP'l.    "A  city  poli- 

fortune,  and  edta  10,7  ,?.  ""!=''  -l""""  «'"  '"'"nily. 
spoken  i,  a  br:'!:  '"  L  h  i va  "  a"nSa''=  t'"  ^4 
success.     Tliis  o-mn  u^i/-  '  •  "  ^"^"  ^^^  ^vith 

politician ;  a'^h^^t-'^^n™: '^^to'^V:?'^ 

»c':„rct:?:„ra^f '^"  -Mii^-^^r  fc 

keeps  his  propTr  sDh  1       '"  *"'"'"','■''  ""''  y^^  each 
Thole halS:^fe„:L!7"r."='^  «^  "-planets. 

">e  -^^of  gentle,;^  rd  :  ^tTpc^aTsToTh"  "*' 
passing,  is  the  son  of  a  mechanir  whn  •  '  a^^"" '" 
ploy.  They  are  probaWv  bro  L!^''°fl."  '"  *•  ^""  •=■"- 
militia  regiment  •'  "  AnH  l,.7  f  '"'"^'^'''  '"  «<»"« 
spoken ?"°   "That  is  mv  hl«  I?*"  ^'°"  ""^^'^ J"'' 

J'as  to  possess  his  own,  "  ^'^  "'  ^"-^^^   "-'  '"""^ 


R  2 


-^  ./    .,•     -—"■..,     mat    lie 

lou  see  we  are  very  good 


186   AREA  OF  THE  CASTLE,  BAY,  AND  SCENE. 

friends,  and  yet  this  is  probably  the  first  time  we 
ever  met  in  the  same  company." 

In  this  manner  we  passed  through  the  crowd, 
until  we  had  gained  the  terrace.  Here  we  paused,  to 
take  a  more  deliberate  view  of  what  I  will  not  term 
an  assemblage,  for  its  adjuncts  and  peculiar  features 
strictly  entitle  it  to  be  called  a  prospect.  The  vast 
extent  of  the  salle  lent  an  air  of  magic  to  the  whole 
scene.  Slight,  delicate  beings*  seemed  to  be  floating 
beneath  us  at  a  distance  that  reduced  their  forms  to 
the  imaginary  size  of  fairies  •  while  the  low,  softened 
music  aided  in  the  deception.  I  never  witnessed  a 
similar  effect  at  any  other  (tie.  Even  the  glimpses 
that  were  here  and  there  caught  of  the  gloomy  re- 
cesses, in  which  artillery  h&d  formerly  fiowned,  assist- 
ed in  lending  the  spectacle  a  character  of  its  own. 
The  side  curtains  of  the  canopy  were  raised  for  the 
admission  of  air,  and  one  had  only  to  turn  his  eyes 
from  the  dazzling  fairy. scene  within,  to  look  out 
upon  the  broad,  placid,  star-lit  bay,  which  washed 
the  foot  of  the  fortress.  I  lingered  on  this  spot  near 
an  hour,  experiencing  an  unsocial  delight  that  may 
seem  to  savour  of  the  humour  of  our  fraternity,  espe- 
cially when  one  remembers  the  numberless  tempta- 
tions to  descend  which  were  flitting  like  beings  of  the 
air  before  my  eyes^  But  a  crowd  of  sensations  and 
reflections  oppressed  me. 

Again  and  again  I  asked  myself  the  question,  if 
what  I  saw  were  true,  and  if  I  really  were  standing 
on  the  continent  of  Columbus.  Could  those  fair, 
graceful  creatures  be  the  daughters  and  \yives  of  the 
mechanics  and  tradesmen  of  a  provincial  town  in 
North  America  ?    Perhaps,  dear  Bethizy,  it  was  as- 


A  rru^  ^^i:^«f.<ff  .^r  i'h'^    Arnoripnn  uirnrnpn   is  rnthcr  npculiar.     It 

struck  the  writer  that  the  females  in  common  were  under  the  size 
of  middle  Europe,  and  the  men  rather  over. 


IIEFL£CT10N$— A  BACH£L0RV  C0NI"ESS10A'S.    187 

sailing  nie  in  my  weakest  part ;  but  I  do  not  remem- 
ber,  before  or  since,  ever  to  have  been  so  alive  to 
the  injustice  of  our  superficial  and  vague  notions  of 
this  country,  as  while  I  stood  gazing  down  on  some 
two  or  three  thousand  of  its  daughters,  who  were 
not  only  attending,  but  actually  adorning  such  a 
scene  as  this.     Most  of  them  certainly  would  have 
been  abashed,  perhaps  gauche,  if  transported  into 
one  of  our  highly  artificial  coteries ;  but,  believe  me, 
the  most  laboured  refinement  of  Europe  might  have 
learned,  in  this  identical,  motley,  republican  assem- 
blage, that  there  is  a  secret  charm  in  natr  •=»,  which 
It  may  be  sometimes  dangerous  to  attempt  to  super- 
sede.    It  has  always  appeared  to  me,  that  manner  in 
a  woman  bears  a  strict  analogy  to  dress.     A  degree 
of  simple,  appropriate  embellishment  serves  alike  to 
adorn  the  graces  of  person  and  of  demeanour ;  but 
the  moment  a  certain  line  is  passed  in  either,  the  in- 
dividual becomes  auxiliary  to  the  addition,  instead  of 
the  addition  lending,  as  it  should,  a  grace  to  the  in- 
dividual.    It  is  very  possible,  that,  if  one  woman 
wears  diamonds,  another  must  do  the  same  thrng, 
until  a  saloon  shall  be  filled  with  the  contents  of  a' 
jeweller's  shop ;  but,  after  all,  this  is  rather  a  con- 
test between  bright  stonei  than  bright  eyes.     What 
man  has  not  looked  a  thousand  times,  even  at  beauty, 
with  indifference,  when  it  has  been  smothered  by 
such  an  unnatural  alliance ;  but  what  man  has  ever 
met  beauty  in  its  native  attractions,  without  feeling 
her  power  influencing  his  inmost  soul  ?  I  speak  with 
no  dissembled  experience  when  I  answer — None ! 

I  think  the  females  of  the  secondary  classes  in  this 
country  dress  more,  and  those  of  the  upper,  less, 
than  the  corresponding  castes  in  Europe.  The 
Americans  are  not  an  economical  people,  in  one 
sense,  though  instances  of  dissolute  "prodigality  are 
exceedingly  rare  among  them.  A  young  woman  of 
the  middling  classes,  for  instance,  seldom  gives  much 


1-llf-« 


it 


/-  ^    m 


f  ts 


Kt 


>       «        I! 

?      4 


'.    '>i 


188 


DEPORTMENT  OF  AMERICAN  FEMALES, 


of  her  thoughts  towards  the  accumulation  of  a  httje 
dowry ;  for  the  question  of  what  a  wife  will  bring  to 
the  common  stock  is  agitated  much  less  frequently 
here  than  in  countries  more  sophisticated.    My  com- 

f)anion  assures  me  it  is  almost  unprecedented  for  a 
over  to  venture  on  any  inquiries  concerning  the  for- 
tune of  his  fair  one,  even  in  any  class.  Those 
equivocal  admirers,  who  find  Cupid  none  the  less 
attractive  for  having  his  dart  gilded,  are  obliged  to 
make  their  demonstrations  with  singular  art  and  cau- 
tion, for  an  American  lady  would  be  very  apt  to  dis- 
trust the  affection  that  saw  her  charms  through  the 
medium  of  an  estate.  Indeed  he  mentioned  one  or 
two  instances  in  which  the  gentlemen  had  endeav- 
oured to  stipulate  in  advance  for  the  dowries  of  their 
brides,  and  which  had  not  only  created  a  great  deal 
of  scandal  in  the  coteries,  but  which  had  invariably 
been  the  means  of  defeating  the  matches ;  the  father, 
or  the  daughter,  finding,  in  each  case,  something  par- 
ticularly offensive  in  the  proposition.  A  lady  of  re- 
puted fortune  is  a  little  more  certain  of  matrimony 
than  her  less  lucky  rival,  though  popular  opinion 
must  be  the  gage  of  her  possessions  until  the  lovei 
can  claim  a  husband's  rights;  unless  indeed  the 
amorous  swain  should  possess,  as  sometimes  hap- 
pens, secret  and  more  authentic  sources  of  informa- 
tion. From  all  that  I  can  learn,  nothing  is  more 
common,  however,  than  for  young  men  of  great  ex- 
pectations to  conroct  themselves  with  females,  com- 
monly of  their  own  condition  in  life,  who  are  pennv- 
less ;  or,  on  the  other  hand,  for  ladies  to  give  their 
persons  with  one  or  two  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
to  men,  who  have  nothing  better  to  recommend  them 
than  education  and  morals.  But  this  is  digressing 
from  my  immediate  subject. 

The  facility  with  which  the  fabrics  of  evej-y  coun- 
try in  the  world  are  obtained,  the  absence  of  care  on 
the  subject  of  the  future,  and  the  inherent  elevation 


COSTUME  or  THE  lABOORlNa  CLASSES.         189 

of  character  which  is  a  natural  consequence  of  edu- 
cation, and  a  consciousness  of  equal  rights,  cause  all 
the  secondary  classes  of  this  country  to\ssime  r^ore 
wi  h'uf  Th:  °^*^Wgher,  than  itfs  common  tHee 
with  us.    The  exceptions  must  be  sought  among  the 

T.Z^'  I  T^"'  "'''°  ^"^  nowhere  so  apt  at  imi- 
tation  as  fte  o  her  sex,  are  commonly  content  wTth 
garments  that  shall  denote  the  comfort  and  easrof 
their  several  conditions  in  life,  but  the  femalS  arc 
remarkable  for  a  niore  aspiring' ambition.  Evin  [n 
the  country,  though  rusticity  and  a  more  awkwa^ 
exterior  were  as,us.ial  to  be  seen,  I  looked  ioTain 

f nd^'^K  Y""'^  ^"^  P^=»""  characteristics  of  dre" 
and  a.r,.  hat  we  meet  in  every  part  of  Europe     In 

but  one  instance  do  I  remember  to  have  seen  anv 

number  either  of  men  or  women,  whose  habihrnenfa 

conveyed  any  idea  of  provincial  costume      The  ex 

cepfon  was  among  the  inhabitants  of  a  little  Dutch 

village,  m  plain  view  of  this  city,  who  are  said  to 

.retain  no  small  portion  of  the  prejudice    and   ig! 

norance   of  the   seventeenth   centur,-,    and   vvhom 

the  merry  author  of  the  burlesque  history  of  New" 

York*  accuses  of  believing  they  are  still  •subiect  to 

the  power  of  the  United  Provinces.    As  resS  the 

tatin^  the  fashion  of  the  day,  n  even  the  humblest 
individual  though  the  essay^^as  freq"e„«y  ma"e  on 
a  materia  no  more  promising  than'the  hLefy  pro" 
duct  of  a  household  manufacture.  In  the  towns,  the 
efforts  vyere  of  course,  far  more  successful,  aid  I 
should  cite  the  union  of  individuality  of  air  w  th  con. 
formance  to  custom  as  a  distinguishing  feature  of  the 
women  of  the  lower  classes  here.  #ou  win  under^ 
!*1'!L'"!  better  if  I  venture  on  that  dangerous  ex- 
■'"■"■'^■"    a  comparison.    A   griselte  of 'Paris,  for 

*  Washington  Irving. 


190 


THE    ATTIRE    OF    FEMALES. 


nih^^ff 


!!  lUY^K      ^ 


.'4    ! 


I! 


14      . 


L'J  ?3i"  ti 


•5"     J 

■  1  > 

instance,  has  a  particularly  smart  an  -  conventional 
air,  though  her  attire  is  as  different  as  possible  from 
that  of  an  elSgante.    But  the  carriage,  the  demeanour, 
and  the  expressions  of  one  Parisian  grisette,  is  as 
much  like  those  of  another  as  well  can  be.    Now  the 
fashion  of  the  attire,  and  not  unfrequently  the  material 
of  the  dress  of  an  American  girl  of  a  similar  class, 
differs  from  that  of  the  lady  only^n  quality,  and  per- 
haps a  Httle  in  the  air  in  which  it  is  worn.     As  you 
ascend  in  the  scale  of  society,  the  distinctions,  always 
excepting  those  delicate  shades  which  can  only  be 
acquired  by  constant  association  in  the  best  company, 
become  less  obvious,  until  it  requires  the  tact  of  breed- 
ing to  trace  them  at  all.     As  I  stood  regarding  the 
mixed  assembly  before  me,  I  had  th^  best  possible 
illustration  of  the  truth  of  what  I  will  not  call  the 
levelling,  for  elevating  is  a  far  better  word,  effects  of 
the  state  of  society,  which  has  been  engendered  by  the 
institutions  and  the  great  abundance  of  this  country. 
Of  some  three  thousand  females  present,  not  a  sixth 
of  the  whole  number,  perhaps,  belonged  to  those 
classes  that,  in  Europe,  are  thought  to  have  any  claims 
to  compose  the  Uite  of  society.     And  yet  so  far  as 
air,  a  tire,  grace,  or  even  deportment,  were  concern- 
ed, it  must  have  been  a  sickly  and  narrow  taste  in- 
deed that  could  have  taken  exceptions.    Although  so 
far  removed  from  what  we  are  accustomed  to  con- 
sider the  world,  the  Americans,  in  general,  have  far 
less  of  /what  is  called,  in  English,  the  manner  of  the 
'  shop '  about  them,  than  their  kinsmen  of  Ensjland. 
These  peculiar  features  are  becoming  every  day  less 
striking  every  where ;  but  Cadwallader  tells  me  they 
never  existed  in  America  at  all.     Few  men  are  so 
completely  limited  to  one  profession,  or  trade,  as  not 
to  possess  a  great  many  just  and  accurate  ideas  on 
other  subjects  ;  and  though  it  may  be  a  consequence 
that  excellence  is  more  rare  in  particular  pursuits,  it 
is  certain  that,  in  manner  and  in  general  intelligence, 


MANNERS    or    THE    WOMEN.  (gj 

the  nation  is  greatly  a  gainer.    The  effect  of  this  ele- 
vation  of  character  (I  pei^ist  in  the  term   was  abun 
dantly  conspicuous  at  the  castle  garden  'fUe      Both 
men  and  worsen  deported  themselves,  anc^o  all  ap- 
pearances  looked  quite  as  well  as  a  far  more  selec 

Areran"femT'-     ^he .  distinguishing  feature  of 
American  female  manners  is  nature.     The  fair  crca- 
tures  are  extremely  graceful  if  left  to  exh  b  t  S 
blandishments  in  their  own  way ;  but  it  is  verv  «• 
dent,  that  a  highly  artificial  manner  in    hose^wTth 
whom  they  associate,  produces  a  blightU  influr,ce 
on  the  ease  of  even  the  most  polished  am^oig  them 
They  appear  to  me  to  shrink  sensitively  from  profe 
sions  and  an  exaggeration  that  form  no^art  of  The  ^ 
ownpohteness;  and  between  oui^elves"  if  they  are 
wise,  they  will  retain  the  unequalled  adrantaSev 
now  possess  in  carrying  refinement  no  further  Than  jt 
car.  be  supported  by  simplicity  and  truth     They  are 

form  bl^ytT-  ^  ""'""ofbeautyin  featurJand 
form,  bemg,  I  thmk,  more  common  than  in  any  part 
of  Europe  north  of  the  Adriatic.  In  general  thJyC 
delicate ;  a  certain  feminine  air,  tone  of  voice  sizJan^ 
grace  being  remarkably  frequent.     In  thrnorthem 

than  h^f^fr'^f/''*"''  ^^'''^  <=»"««"'  much  more 
than  half  the  whole  population  of  the  country  the 

women  are  fair;  though  brunettes  are  not  unfremlent 
and  just  as.  blondes  are  admired  in  France  thev  are 

T^'  T^^'^'f  ^"''^  «'P«"«%.  «^  isXn'theLse 

f  the  hair  and  eyes  happen  to  correspond.     Indeed 

t  IS  dimcult  o  imagine  any  creature  more  attractive 

han  an  Amencan  beauty  between  the  ages  of  fifteen 

and  eighteen.    There  is  something  in  the  Woom  S 

cacy  and  innocence  of  one  of  these  young  thiZ'  that 

reminds  you  of  the  conceptions  which  3  and 

f"»t'!„'!.^?it-"  "-^. '"«  -S«'-     I  think"  ddic^cy 
....   „„„  oyjxjaiaiicu  at  tnat  age,  though  nerham 
carcely  more  enchanting  than  whit  one  sles  in  Eng 
land,  ,s  even  more  common  here  than  in  the  .mother 


193 


EARLY    FADING    OF    THE    WOMEN. 


countrv,  especially  when  it  is  recollected  how  many 
more  faces  necessarily  pass  hefore  the  eye  in  a  given 
time  in  the  latter  nation  than  in  this.  It  is  often  said 
that  the  women  of  this  climate  fade  earlier  than  in 
the  northern  countries  of  Europe,  and  I  confess  I  was, 
at  first,  inclined  to  beUeve  the  opinion  true.  That  it 
is  not  true  ta  the  extent  that  is  commonly  supposed, 
1  am,  however,  convinced  by  the  reasoning  of  Cad- 
wallader,  if  indeed  it  be  true  at  all.  Perhaps  a  great 
majority  of  the  females  marry  before  the  age  of 
twenty,  and  it  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  them 
mothers  at  sixteen,  seventeen,  or  eighteen.  Almost 
every  American  mother  nurses  her  own  infant.  It 
is  far  more  common  to  find  them  mothers  of  eight, 
or  of  ten  children,  at  fifty,  than  mothers  of  two  or 
three.  Now  the  human  form  is  not  completely  de- 
veloped in  the  northern  moiety  of  this  Union,  earlier 
than  in  France,  or  in  England.  These  early  mar- 
riages, which  are  the  fruits  of  abundance,  have  an 
obvious  tendency  to  impair  the  powers  of  the  female, 
and  to  produce  a  premature  decay.  In  addition  to 
this  cause,  which  is  far  more  general  than  you  may 
be  disposed  to  believe,  there  is  something  in  the  cus- 
toms of  the  country  which  may  have  a  tendency,  not 
only  to  assist  the  ravages  of  time,  but  to  prevent  the 
desire  to  conceal  them.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
animal,  as  well  as  the  moral  man,  is  far  less  artificial 
here  than  in  Europe.  There  is  thought  to  be  some- 
thing deceptive  in  the  Use  of  the  ordinary  means  of 
aiding  nature,  which  offends  the  simple  manners  of 
the  nation.  Even  so  common  an  ornament  as  rouge 
is  denied,  and  no  woman  dares  confess  that  she  uses 
it.  There  is  something  so  particularly  soft  and  deli- 
cate in  the  colour  of  the  young  females  one  sees  in  the 
streets  here,  that  at  first  I  was  inclined  to  give  them 
credit  for  the  art  with  which  they  applied  the  tints ; 
but  Cadwailader  gravely  assured  me  I  was  wrong. 
He  had  no  doubt  that  certain  individuals  did,  in  secret, 


COMMUNICATION  iJLTWEEN  THE  UNMARRIED.     193 

adopt  the  use  of  rouge ;  but  within  the  whole  circuit 
ol  his  acquaintance  he  could  not  name  one  whom  he 
even  suspected  of  the  practice.    Indeed,  several  gen- 
tlemen have  gone  so  far  as  to  assure  me  that  whin  a 
woman  rouged,  it  is  considered  in  this  country,  as 
pnma  facte  testimony  that  her  character  is  frail.     It 
should  also  be  remembered,  that  when  an  American 
girl  marries,  she  no  longer  entertains  the  desire  to  in- 
terest any  but  her  husband.    There  is  perhaps  some- 
thing  in  the  security  of  matrimony  that  is  not  very 
propitious  to  female  blandishments,  and  one  ought  to 
express  no  surprise  that  the  wife  who  is  content  with 
pe  affections  of  her  husband,  should  grow  a  little 
indifferent  to  the  admiration  of  the  rest  of  the  world. 
One  rarely  sees  married  women  foremost  in  the  gay 
scenes.     They  attend,  as  observant  and  influencing 
members  of  society,  but  not  as  the  principal  actors. 
It  IS  thought  that  the  amusements  of  the  worid  are 
more  appropriate  to  the  young,  who  are  neither  bur- 
thened  nor  sobered  with  matrimonial  duties,  and  who 
possess  an  inherent  right  to  look  about  them  in  the 
morning  of  life  in  quest  of  the  partner  who  is  to  be 
their  companion  to  its  close.     And  yet  I  could  name, 
among  my  acquaintances  here,  a  dozen  of  the  young- 
est-locking mothers  of  large  and  grown-up  families 
that  I  remember  ever  to  have  seen. 

The  freedom  of  intercourse  which  is  admitted  be- 
tween the  young  of  the  two  sexes  in  America,  and  * 
which  undeniably*  is  admitted  with  impunity,  is  to 
me,  who  have  so  bng  been  kept  sighing  in  the  dis- 
tance,  perfectly  amazing.  I  have  met  with  self-suf- 
hcient  critics  from  our  side  of  the  Atlantic,  who  be- 
lieve, or  affect  to  believe,  that  this  intercourse  cannot 
always  be  so  innocent  as  is  pretended.  When  ques- 
tioned as  to  the  grounds  of  their  doubts,  thev  have 
umlormly  been  founded  on  the  ii^nression  thai  whof 

?,!!?u^:!i^A^^j^^^'**^  impunity  with  us,  cannot  exist 

""'       might  just  as  W( 


Vol  T 


S 


pre- 


194   RARELY  ABUSED, AND  REASONS  WHY  NOT. 


F; '.' 


]■ : 


1 » 


tend,  in  opposition  to  the  known  fact,  that  a  repub- 
lican form  of  governme  .t  cannot  exist  in  America, 
because  it  could  not  well  exist  in  Turkey  as  the  Ot- 
toman empire  is  now  constituted.  That  the  confi- 
dence of  parents  is  sometimes  abused  in  America,  is 
probably  just  as  true  as  it  is  that  their  watchfulness 
IS  sometimes  deceived  in  Europe ;  but  the  intelligence, 
the  high  spirit,  and  the  sensitiveness  of  the  American 
(who  must  necessarily  be  a  party  to  any  transgressions 
of  the  sort)  on  the  subject  of  female  reputation,  is  in 
itself  sufficient  proof  that  the  custom  is  attended  with 
no  general  inconvenience.  The  readiness  of  the 
American  gentleman  to  appeal  to  arms  in  defence  of 
his  wounded  pride  is  too  well  known  to  be  disputed. 
The  duels  of  this  country  are  not  only  more  frequent, 
but  they  are  infinitely  more  fatal  than  those  of  any 
other  nation.  We  will  hereafter  consider  the  cause, 
and  discuss  their  manner.  But  no  reasonable  man 
can  suppose  that  a  sagacious  nation,  which  is  so  sen- 
sitive on  the  point  of  honour,  would  stupidly  allow 
their  sisters  and  daughters  to  be  debauched,  when 
their  own  personal  experience  must  apprize  them  of 
the  danger  to  which  they  are  exposed.  The  evil 
would  necessarily  correct  itself.  The  chief  reason 
why  the  present  customs  can  exist  without  abuse,  is 
no  doubt  owing  to  the  fact  that  there  is  no  army,  nor 
any  class  of  idlers,  to  waste  their  time  in  dissolute 
amusements.  Something  is  also  due  to  the  deep 
moral  feeling  which  pervades  the  community,  ard 
which  influences  the  exhibition  of  vice  in  a  thousand 
different  ways.  But  having  said  so  much  on  the  sub- 
ject, you  may  expect  me  to  name  the  extent  to  which 
this  freedom  of  intercourse  extends.  Under  the  di- 
rection of  my  friend  Cadwallader,  I  shall  endeavour 
to  acquit  myself  of  the  obligation. 

You  will  readily  understand  that  the  usages  of  so- 

circles  in  which  they  are  exhibited.     Among  those 


M'' 


HABITS  OF  AN  AMERICAN  GIRL. 


195 


Ir  '?f  'a^  '^'^  ^^'^'^^  ^^  ^^^*^»g  *«  the  ^/t<e,  the  lib- 
fflri^.t""'""^^^^  females,  I  am  inclined  to 
think,  IS  much  he  same  as  is  practised  among  the  upper 
classes  in  England,  with  this  difference,  that,  as  there 
IS  less  danger  of  innovation  on  rank  though  for  une! 

triouTv'of  t^'^'"^'^^  l^P^^^"*^'  '^  is^there  le^s 
jealousy  of  their  approaches.     A  young  American 

dances,  chats,  laughs,  and  is  just  L  ha^y  fn  the 

saloon,  as  she  was  a  few  years  before  in  the  nursery 

I  IS  expected  that  the  young  men  would  seek  hj; 

out  s,    next  her   endeavour  to  amuse  her,  and,  in 

short  to  make  themselves  as  agreeable  as  possible. 

JiL«  wT'^  ^^  *^^  '"P^"*^»*  Benedict,  tompte 
Jules,  but  this  IS  a  constant  and  sore  temptation  to 
one  who  has  never  before  been  placed  in  the  jeopardy 
of  such  a  contagious  atmosphere !  But  it  is  necessary 
o  understand  the  tone  of  conversation  that  is  allowed, 
m  order  to  estimate  the  dangers  of  this  propinquity. 
1  he  language  of  gallantry  is  never  tolerated.     A 
married  woman  would  conceive  it  an  insult,  and  a 
|rl  would  be  exceedingly  apt  to  laugh  in  her  adorer's 
face.    In  order  that  it  should  be  favourably  received 
It  IS  necessary  that  the  former  should  be  prepared  to 
forget  her  virtue,  and  to  the  latter,  whether  sincere 

LnU  .  f  ^r  ^^'^^f  ^  requmie  that  all  adulation 
should  at  least  wear  the  semblance  of  sincerity.  But 
he  who  addresses  an  unmarried  female  in  this  Ian- 
guage,  whether  it  be  of  passion  or  only  feigned  must 
K*  u  l^  ^^P««^d'/nd  probably  disgraced,  unle£8 
he  should  be  prepared  to  support  his  sincerit;  by  an 
offer  of  his  hand.  I  think  I  see  you  tremble  at  the 
magnitude  of  the  penalty !  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that 
Idle  pleasantries,  such  as  are  mutually  understood  to 
be  no  more  than  pleasantries,  are  not  sometimes  tol- 
erated ;  but  an  American  female  is  exceedingly  apt 
to  assume  a  chilhng  gravity  at  the  slightest  trespass 
-i  waai  sne  Deiieves,  and,  between  oui-selves,  rights 
beheves,  to  be  the  dignity  of  her  sex.   Here,      fwiU 


196 


PECULIAR  RESERVE  IN  CONVERSATIONT. 


i     I 


J'  •■ 


if( 


. '} 


perceive,  is  a  saving  custom,  and  one,  too,  that  it  is 
exceedingly  hazardous  to  infringe,  which  diminishes 
one  half  of  the  ordinary  dangers  of  the  free  commu- 
nication between  the  young  of  the  two  sexes.  With- 
out doubt,  when  the  youth  has  once  made  his  choice, 
he  endeavours  to  secure  an  interest  in  the  aflectiona 
of  the  chosen  fair,  by  all  those  nameless  assiduities 
and  secret  sympathies,  which,  though  they  appear  to 
have  produced  no  visible  fruits,  cannot  be  unknown 
to  one  of  your  established  susceptibility.  These  at- 
tractions lead  to  love ;  and  love,  in  this  country,  nine- 
teen times  in  twenty,  leads  to  matrimony.  But  pure, 
heartfelt  affection,  rarely  exhibits  itself  in  the  lan- 
guage of  gallantry.  The  latter  is  no  more  than  a 
mask,  which  pretenders  assume  and  lay  aside  at  pleas- 
ure ;  but  when  the  heart  is  really  touched,  the  tongue 
is  at  best  but  a  miserable  interpreter  of  its  emotions. 
I  have  always  ascribed  our  own  fojlorn  condition  to 
the  inability  of  that  mediating  member  to  do  justice 
to  the  strength  of  emotions  that  are  seemingly  as  deep 
as  they  are  frequent.  4| 

There  is  another  peculiarity  in  American  manners 
that  should  be  mentioned.  You  probably  know  that 
in  England  far  more  reserve  is  used,  in  conversation 
with  a  female,  than  in  most,  if  not  all  of  the  nations 
of  the  continent.  As,  in  all  peculiar  customs,  each 
nation  prefers  its  own  usage ;  and  while  the  English 
lady  is  shocked  with  the  freedom  with  which  the 
French  lady  converses  of  her  personal  feelings,  ail- 
ings,  <Sic.,  the  latter  turns  the  nicety  of  the  former  into 
ridicule.  It  would  be  an  invidious  office  to  pretend 
to  decide  between  the  tastes  of  such  delicate  dispu- 
tants ;  but  one  manner  of  considering  the  subject  is 
manifestly  wrong.  The  great  reserve  of  the  English 
ladies  has  been  termed  a  mauvaise  honte,  which  is 
ascribed  to  their  insular  situation,  and  to  their  cir- 
cumscribed intercourse  with  the  rest  of  the  world. 
And  yet  it  maybe  well  questioned  Kthe  pai/sanm 


CUSTOMS  OF  DIFFERENT  COUNTRIES.  197 

cannot  successfully  compete  with  the  iUgante,  in  this 
species  of  refinement,  or  whether  a  dame  des  halles 
cannot  rather  njore  freely  discuss  her  animal  functions 
than  a  dame  de  la  cour.     This  is  a  manner  of  dis- 
posmg  of  the  question  that  will  not  abide  the  test  of 
mvestigation,  since  it  is  clear  that  refinement  makes 
us  reserved,  and  not  communicative,  on  all  such  to- 
pics.    1^  ashion,  it  is  true,  may  cause  even  coarseness 
to  be  sometimes  tolerated,  and,  after  all,  it  is  no  easy 
matter  to  decide  where  true  refinement  ends,  or  sick- 
liness of  taste  commences.     Let  all  this  be  as  it  may 
It  IS  certam  that  the  women  of  America,  of  all  classes 
are  much  more  reserved  and  guarded  in  their  dis- 
course, at  least  in  presence  of  our  sex,  than  even  the 
vyomen  of  the  country  whence  they  derive  their  ori- 
gin.   V  arious  opinions  are  entertained  on  the  subject 
amongst  themselves.     The  vast  majority  of  the  men 
like  it,  because  they  are  used  to  no  other  custom. 
Many,  who  have  got  a  taste  of  European  usages,  con- 
demn It  as  over-fastidious ;  but  my  friend  Cadwalla- 
der,  who  is  not  ignorant  of  life  in  both  hemispheres 
worships  It,  as  constituting  one  of  the  distinctive  and 
appropriate  charms  of  the  sex.    He  stoutly  maintains, 
that  the  influence  of  woman  is  more  felt  and  revered 
m  American  society  than  in  any  other;  and  he  argues, 
with  no  little  plausibility,  that  it  is  so  because,  while 
she  rarely  or  never  exceeds  the  natural  duties  of  her 
station,  she  forgets  none  of  those  distinctive  features 
of  her  sex  and  character,  which,  by  constantly  ap- 
pealing to  the  generosity  of  man  by  admitting  her 
physical  weakness,  give  strength  and  durability  to 
her  moral  ascendancy.     I  think,  at  all  events,  no  in- 
telligent traveller  can  journey  through  this  country 
without  being  struck  by  the  singular  air  of  decency 
and  self-respect  which  belongs  to  all  its  women,  and 

8  2 


198 


»>||f CAUTION:!  I'SfT)  IN  VtPtR  rt  A88. 


11' 


-I  ^  ■  i 


J., 


?. 


"i 


no  honest  foreigner  can  deny  the  kindnosi  and  re- 
spect thej  receive  from  tlic  men.* 

With  f^e«e  restrictions,  wiiich  cannot  be  infringed 
without  violtitjf.jl  the  rules  of  receivccf  'iecorum,  you 
will  readily  perc  nve  that  the  free  intercourse  be- 
tween the  unmarried  is  at  once  deprived  of  half  its 
danger.  But  the  upper  classes  in  this  country  are 
far  from  neglecting  many  necessary  forms.  As  they 
have  more  to  lose  by  matrimonial  connexions  than 
others,  common  prudence  teaches  them  the  value  of 
a  proper  caution.  Thus  a  young  lad^  never  goes  in 
public  without  the  eye  of  some  experienced  matron 
to  watch  her  movements.  She  cannot  appear  at  a 
play,  ball,  kc.  &c.  without  a  father,  or  a  brother,  at 
least  it  is  thought  far  more  delicate  and  proper  that 
bh  should  have  a  female  guardian.  She  never 
ricios  nor  walks — unless  in  the  most  public  places, 
ai  J  then  commonly  with  great  reserve — attended  by 
a  single  man,  unless  indeed  under  circustances  of  a 
peculiar  nature.  In  short,  she  pursues  that  course 
which  rigid  delicacy  would  prescribe,  without  hovv- 

*  A  conversation  once  occurred  between  a  French  and  an 
American  gentleman  on  this  subject,  in  presence  of  the  writer. 
The  former  insisted  that  the  Americans  did  not  treat  their  women 
as  politely  as  the  French,  though  he  did  not  deny  thinking  their 
treatment  sublantially  kind.  "For  instance,"  he  said,  "you 
will  not,  half  the  time,  give  a  lady  the  wall  in  passing  in  the 
street."  "  Very  true,"  returned  the  American,  "we  carry  our 
politeness  much  further ;  we  are  humane.  TLore  is  not  a  street 
in  all  America  without  trottoirs,  and  most  of  them,  as  you  well 
know,  are  broad  and  comfortable.  It  is  true,  we  inherit  tht 
custom  from  England;  but  had  we  not,  the  necessities  of  woman 
alone  would  have  caused  us  to  adopt  some  such  plan  for  her  re- 
lief. We  commor'  /  take  the  right  in  passing,  because  it  is  most 
convenient  to  ha-v  ;  t^eneral  rule.  If  any  thing,  the  wall  is 
neither  so  safe  ncr  *  <  \ ;;  f  labi's  ns  the  outer  side  of  the  walk." 
Not\;  it  appears  to  ''  t  vi<.-"  that  this  reply  contains  the  very 
essence  of  the  kin  !ur^  f  nan  to  w  •  >an  in  America.  There 
is  little  show  in  ui  bxxi  3  very  thin^  that  is  consideraio  and 
useful. 


I 


S9. 

eii  and  rc- 

)e  infringed 
corum,  you 
'course  bc- 
1  of  half  its 
country  are 
3.  As  they 
^xions  than 
he  value  of 
!ver  goes  in 
:ed  matron 
appear  at  a 
brother,  at 
proper  that 
She  never 
blic  places, 
attended  by 
itances  of  a 
that  course 
ithout  hovv- 

'rench  and  an 
of  the  writer, 
it  their  women 
thinking  their 
lie  said,  "you 
)a88ing  in  the 
'  we  carry  our 
is  not  a  street 
n,  as  you  wel) 
ive  inherit  the 
ities  of  woAian 
Ian  for  her  re- 
ause  it  is  most 
ig,  the  wall  is 
of  the  walk." 
tains  the  very 
lerica.  There 
neiderato  and 


CONFIDIXO  PRACTICE  OP  THE  COUNTRY. 

* 


199 


betra^ 


ever  betraying  any  m^irked  distrust  of  the  intentiof?s 
of  tho  other  sex.  These  customs  are  relaxt  1  a  little 
as  you  descend  in  the  scale  of  society ;  but  it  is  evi- 
dently more  because  the  friends  of  a  girl  with  ten  or 
twenty  thousand  dollars,  or  of  a  family  in  middle 
life,  have  less  jealousy  of  motive  than  those  of  one 
who  is  rich,  or  otherwise  of  a  particularly  desirable 
connexion.  - 

I  shall  close  this  long  and  discursive  epistle  with 
one  more  distinctive  custom,  that  may  serve  to  give 
you  an  idv^a  of  the  tone  and  simplicity  of  this  society. 
There  is  something  repugnant  to  the  delicacy  of 
American  ideas  in  permitting  a  lady  to  come,  in  any 
manner  in  contact  with  the  world.  A  woman  of  » 
almost  any  rank  above  the  labouring  classes,  is  averse 
to  expose  herself  to  the  usual  collisions,  bargainings, 
kc.  &c.,  of  ordinary  travelling.  Thus,  the  first  thing 
an  American  woman  requires  to  commence  a  jour- 
ney, is  a  suitable  male  escort ;  the  very  thing  that 
with  us  would  be  exceptionable.  Nothing  is  more 
common,  for  instance,  when  a  husband  or  a  brother 
hears  that  a  respectable  acquaintance  is  about  t» 
go  in  the  same  steam-boat,  stage,  or  on  the  same 
route,  as  that  in  which  his  wife  or  sister  intends 
to  journey,  than  to  request  the  former  to  become 
her  protector.  The  request  is  rarely  refused,  and 
the  trust  is  always  considered  flattering,  and  com- 
monly sacred.     Here  you  see  that  the  very  custom 

ich  in  (',  irope  would  create  scandal,  is  here  re- 
sorted to,  under  favour  of  good  morals  and  direct- 
ness of  thought,  to  avert  it.  Cadwallader  assures  me 
that  he  was  pained,  and  even  shocked,  at  meeting  i 
well-bred  women  running  about  Europe  attendea 
only  by  a  footman  and  a  maid,  and  that  for  a  long 
time  he  could  not  divest  himself  of  the  idea,  that  they 

W'^rp  nnfnrfnnate  in  haviniT  ln«t  all  tVinse  male  fri*»nrls- 

whose  natural  duty  it  was  to  stand  betw^^en  their' 
helplessness  and  the  cold  calculating  selfishness  of 


200         LEAVES  NEW-VORH  FOR  THE  INTERIOR. 

the  world.  There  would  be  some  relief  to  the  ennui 
of  our  desolation,  gallant  Jules,  could  our  own  single- 
blessedness  take  refuge  in  the  innocent  delights  of 
such  a  servitude ! — Adieu. 


TO  THE  COMTE  JULES  DE  BETHIZY, 
&c.  &c. 


New-York, - 


!.  ! 


There  is  a  secret  pleasure  in  discoursing  of  the 
habits,  affections,  ana  influence  of  the  sex,  which 
invariably  leads  me  astray  from  all  other  objects.  I 
find,  on  perusing  my  letter-book,  that  the  temptation 
of  treating  on  the  usages  of  the  American  women, 
completely  lured  me  from  a  recollection  of  the 
fete  in  which  I  was  happy  enough  to  see  s«  ma^y  of 
tjje  fair  creatures  congregated.  It  is  now'too  late  to 
leturn  to  a  description  of  a  scene  that  would  require 
hours  to  do  it  justice,  and  we  must,  in  consequence, 
take  our  departure  abruptly  for  the  interior  of  the  state 
of  New-York.    It  had  been  previously  arranged  that 

Cadwallader  and   his  acquaintance  should 

take  passage  in  a  steam-boat  that  was  destined  to 
receive  La  Fayette,  and  which  was  to  depart,  at  a 
stated  hour,  from  the  terrace  of  the  castle  garden 
itself. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  these  republicans  have 
given  a  princely  reception  to  their  venerable  guest. 
It  forms  one  portion  of  their  plan  of  hospitahty,  that 
He  is  to  receive  every  accommodation  to  which  he 
is  entitled  bv  his  rank  and  services-  and  everv  facilitv 
of  movement  possible,  without  the  least  pecuniary 
cost.     At  every  city,  and  indeed  at  every  hamlet  he 


in 


CRIOR. 


f  to  the  ennui 
ir  own  single- 
it  delights  of 


THIZY, 


,.York, 

>ursing  of  the 
le  sex,  which 
er  objects.  1 
he  temptation 
rican  women, 
ectioji  of  the 
ee  s«  mafey  of 
ow*too  late  to 
would  require 

consequence, 
ior  of  the  state 

arranged  that 
itance  should 
IS  destined  to 
0  depart,  at  a 

castle  garden 

ublicans  have 
nerahle  guest, 
aspitahty,  that 
n  to  which  he 

I  pvfrv  fjipilifv 

.^. -„-^ 

;ast  pecuniary 
ery  hamlet  he 


SPONTANEOUS  TRIBU /ES  TO  LA  rAYETTE.   201 

enters,  lodgings  table,  carriage,  and,  in  short,  all  the 
arrangements  of  a  well-ordered  establishment,  are 
f  at  the  expense  of  the  citizens.  The  govern- 
nient  has  nothmg  further  to  do  with  it,  than  that  it 
offered  him  a  vessel  of  war  to  conduct  him  to  the 
country,  and  that  it  has  issued  orders  that  their  an! 
cient  general  should  be  received  with  the  customary 
military  honours  at  the  different  mihtary  and  naval  es- 
tablishments  &c.  that  he  may  choose  to  visit.  Every 
thing  else  is  efl  to  the  good-will  and  grateful  affection 

Hv  IkI-P  r?i  ^'  i^""^  ""^^^^  ^^  ^^^y  P^^ss  forward  to 
lay  their  little  offerings  on  the  altar  of  gratitude.  The 
passage  of  La  Fayette  by  land  is  invariably  conduct- 
ed under  an  escort  of  local  cavalry,  from  town  to 
town  while  he  never  enters  a  State  that  he  is  not  re- 
ceived either  by  its  governor  in  person,  or  some  suit- 
able  representative,  who  chaises  himself  with  all  that 
IS  necessary  to  the  comfort  of  the  guest  during  the 
time  that  he  is  to  remain  in  those  particular  territo- 
ries. ^^  I  he  receptions,  entertainments,  and  contribu- 
tions 6f  the  several  towns  are  made  subject  to  this 
general  control,  and  by  this  means  confusion  is  avoid- 
ed,  and  despatch,  an  important  part  where  so  much 
IS  to  be  done,  is  commonly  secured. 

Oa  the  present  occasion,  La  Fayette  was  to  pre- 
sent himself  m  the  towns  on  the  banks  of  the  Hud- 
son; to  examine  the  great  military  school  at  West 
Foint,  and  to  revisit  many  of  those  scenes  o{  peculiar 
.uteres  in  which  he  had  been  an  important  actor 
live  and  forty  years  before.  A  capacious,  comfort- 
ab  e,  and  even  e  egant  steam-boat,  was  appropriated 
to  his  use.*    It  might  readily  have  transported  several 


natiol^^  ThoZ  i^^  American  steam-boats  is  peculiar  to  the 
nation.     Ihose  of  England  are  cerfainltr  «ow  f^  *u :_  _:__ 

snow,  and  elegance;  but  the  writer  thinks'' they  cannorbe  said  To 
be  equal  ,„  either.  Their  number,  considerfng  the  population 
oi  the  country,  is  amazing.    There  cannot  bo  less  than  fifty,  Sia" 


HHI 

■  ^ 

fWi 

U 

s 

lit- 

i 

llf  . 

,  1 

'<t     ♦ 


2(^2      DEPARTURE  FOR  AI^BANY HUDSON  RIVER. 

hundred  souls,  and  one  or  two  hundred  could  sleep 
beneath  the  decks  with  as  much  comfort  as  is  usually 
found  in  the  limited  space  of  any  vessel. 

A  little  after  midnight  we  were  told  it  was  neces- 
sary to  depart.  Our  baggage  and  servants  were 
already  on  board,  and  following  the  motions  of  La 
Fayette,  who  tore  himself  from  a  crowd  of  the  fair 
and  affectionate  daughters  of  America,  that  seemed  in 
truth  to  regard  him  with  eyes  of  filial  affection,  we 
left  the  brilliant  scene  together.  The  boat  was  in 
readiness,  and  stepping  on  her  decks  from  the  lower 
terrace  beneath  the  walls  of  the  castle,  in  five  minutes 
we  were  making  swift  progress  along  the  noble  river 
of  the  north,  as  it  is  often  called  in  this  country.  For 
a  few  minutes  we  saw  the  halo  of  light  which  hung 
about  the  scene  we  had  quitted,  and  heard  the  soft 
sounds  of  ihe  distant  music  diffusing  themselves  on 
the  water,  and  then  came  the  gloomier  objects  of  the 
sleeping  town,  with  its  tall,  straight  spires,  its  forests 
of  masts,  and  its  countless  rows  of  battlement-walls, 
and  of  chimneys,  in  brick.  The  whole  company, 
which  consisted  of  some  fifty  or  sixty,  immediately 
retired  to  their  births,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  dash- 
ing of  the  wheels  against  the  water,  and  the  dead, 
dull  movement  of  the  engine,  lulled  me  to  sleep. 

I  was  up  long  before  most  of  the  company.     La 

ply  on  the  waters  which  communicate  with  the  city  of  New- 
York  alone.  On  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries,  there  are 
near  a  hundred,  many  of  which  are  as  large  as  small  frigates. 
Of  their  elegance  it  may  be  said  that  one  is  now  running  on  the 
Hudson,  which,  besides  a  profuse  expenditure  of  marble,  ma- 
hogany, the  beautiful  bird's-eye  maple  of  the  country,  and  all 
the  other  customary  ornaments,  has  its  cabins  actually  sur- 
rounded by  compartments  painted  in  landscapes,  &e.  &:c.  by 
artists  who  would  occupy  highly  creditable  situations  among 
their  brethren  in  Europe.  This  boat  has  run  from  New- York  to 
Albany,  a  distance  of  about  on^  hundied  and  forty-seven  miles, 
in  eleven  houi«  and  a  half.  Every  day,  too,  is  exhibiting  im- 
provements in  machinery  and  form,  as  also  in  luxury  and 
comfort. 


SON  RIVER. 

Ired  could  sleep 
ifort  as  is  usually 
ssel. 

)ld  it  was  neces- 
l  servants  were 
;  motions  of  La 
rowd  of  the  fair 
1,  that  seemed  in 
ial  affection,  we 
.'he  boat  was  in 

from  the  lower 
3,  in  five  minutes 
;  the  noble  river 
lis  country.  For 
ght  which  hung 
1  heard  the  soft 
g  themselves  on 
er  objects  of  the 
spires,  its  forests 
attlement-walls, 
vhole  company, 
:ty,  immediately 
linutes  the  dash- 
,  and  the  dead, 
le  to  sleep. 

company.     La 

h.  the  city  of  New- 
butaries,  there  are 
B  as  small  frigates, 
low  running  on  the 
ire  of  marble,  ma- 
e  country,  and  all 
bins  actually  sur- 
icapes,  &c.  &:c.  by 
I  situations  among 
from  New- York  to 
I  forty-seven  miles, 
>,  is  exhibiting  im- 
Iso  in  luxury  and 


MORNING RIVER  COMPARED  '^O  OTHERS.        203 

Fayette  was  on   deck,  attended    by  one  or  two 
foreigners,  who,  like  myself,  were  anxious  to  lose 
as  little  as  possible  of  the  glorious  scenery  of  this 
renowned  river,  and  two  or  three  Americans,  who 
had  reached  that  time  of  life  when  sleep  is  becoming 
less  necessary  than  it  was  in  youth.     The  night  had 
been  foggy  and  unusually  dark,  and  we  had  lost  some 
time  by  touching  on  an  oyster-bank  that  lies  in  one  of 
the  broadest  parts  of  the  river.    This  delay,  however, 
though  It  served  to  disconcert  some  of  the  arrange- 
ments of  the  towns  above,  was  certainly  propitious 
to  our  wishes,  since  it  enabled  us,  who  had  never 
before  been  on  this  water,  to  see  more  of  its  delight- 
ful landscapes.     As  I  do  not  intend  often  to  molest 
you  with  descriptions  that  cannot  be  considered  dis- 
tinctive, you  will  bear  with  me  for  a  moment  while 
I  make  a  little  digression  in  favour  of  the  Hudson, 
which,  after  having  seen  the  Rhine,  the  Rhone,  the 
Loire,  the  Seine,  the  Danube,  the  Wolga,  the  Dnieper, 
and  a  hundred  others,  I  fearlessly  pronounce  to  em- 
brace a  greater  variety  of  more  noble  and  more 
pleasing  natural  objects,  than  any  one  of  them  all.     " 

For  the  first  fifty  miles  from  its  mouth,  the  Hudson 
IS  never  much  less  than  a  mile  in  width,  and,  in  two 
instances,  it  expands  into  small  lakes  of  twice  that 
breadth,  running  always  in  a  direction  a  little  west  of 
north.  The  eye,  at  first,  looks  along  an  endless  vista, 
that  narrows  by  distance,  but  which  opposes  nothing 
but  distance  to  the  view.  The  western  shore  is  a 
perpendicular  rock,  weather-worn  and  venerable, 
bearing  a  little  of  the  appearance  of  artificial  par- 
apets, from  which  word  it  takes  its  name.  This  rock 
has  a  very  equal  altitude  of  about  five  hundred  feet. 
At  the  foot  of  this  wall  of  stone,  there  is,  occasionally, 
room  for  the  hut  of  some  labourer  in  the  quarries, 
"  hich  arc  wrought  in  its  side,  and  now  and  then  a 
house  is  seen  seated  on  a  narrow  bottom,  that  may 
furnish  subsistence  for  a  few  cattle,  or,  perhaps,  a 


804 


DESCRIPTION  or  THE  HUDSON. 


I  x^ 


garden  for  the  occupant.     The  opposite  bank  is  cul- 
tivated to  the  water,  though  it  is  also  high,  unequal, 
and  broken.     A  few  villages  are  seen,  white,  neat, 
and  thriving,  and  of  a  youthful,  vigorous  air,  as  is  gene- 
rally the  case  with  an  American  village,  while  there 
is  scarcely  an  eligible  site  for  a  dwelling  that  is  not 
occupied  by  a  villa,  or  one  of  the  convenient  and 
respectable   looking    farm-houses    of   the  country. 
Orchards,  cattle,  fields  of  grain,  and  all  the  other 
signs  of  a  high  domestic  condition,  serve  to  heighten 
the  contrast  of  the  opposing  banks.    This  description, 
short  and  imperfect  as  it  is,  may  serve  to  give  you 
some  idea  of  what  I  should  call  the  first  distinctive 
division  of  this  extraordinary   river.     The  second 
commences  at  the  entrance  of  the  Highlands.     These 
are  a  succession  of  confused  and  beautifully  romantic 
mountains,  with  broken  and  irregular  summits,  which 
nature  had  apparently  once  opposed  to  the  passage 
of  the  water.     The  elements,  most  probably  assisted 
by  some  violent  convulsion  of  the  crust  of  the  earth, 
triumphed,  and  the  river  has  wrought  for  itself  a 
sinuous  channel  through  the  maze  of  hills,  for  a  dis- 
tance of  not  less  than  twenty  miles.     Below  the 
Highlands,  though  the  parapets  and  their  rival  banks 
form  a  peculiar  scenery,  the  proportions  of  objects 
-are  not  sufficiently  preserved  to  give  to  the  land,  or 
to  the  water,  the  effect  which  they  are  capable  of 
producing  in  conjunction.     The  river  is  too  broad, 
or  the  hills  are  too  low.     But  within  the  Highlands, 
the  objection  is  lost.     The  river  is  reduced  to  less 
than  half  its  former  width,  (at  least  it  appears  so  to 
the  eye,)  while  the  mountains  rise  to  three  and  four 
times  the  altitude  of  the  parapets.     Rocks,  broken, 
ragged,  and  fantastic  ;  forests,  through  which   dis- 
jointed  precipices   are   seen   forming  dusky   back- 

gIVUIlUS  ^    px  ViXlvrlitVi  JVi3  )    vj.cx.i.i».^  W^vp    J^aj^  ^    i  V  YT    i3j  trixsi 

points;   elevated  plains;  gloomy,   retiring  valleys; 
pinnacles  ;  cones ;  ramparts,  that  overhang  and  frown 


SECOND  DIVISION  OF  THE  SCENERY. 


20S 


bank  is  cul- 
gh,  unequal, 
white,  neat, 
ir,  as  is  gene- 
while  there 
5  that  is  not 
venient  aind 
he   country. 
11  the  other 
J  to  heighten 
i  description, 
to  give  you 
it  distinctive 
The   second 
nds.     These 
illy  romantic 
nmits,  which 
the  passage 
ably  assisted 
of  the  earth, 
for  itself  a 
ills,  for  a  dis- 
Below  the 
r  rival  banks 
is  of  objects 
the  land,  or 
e  capable  of 
is  too  broad, 
le  Highlands, 
uced  to  less 
ippears  so  to 
iree  and  four 
cks,  broken, 
I  which  dis- 
dusky   back- 

3    ^      1\J  TT      iJJ   L  T  iXZt 

ring  valleys; 
ng  and  frown 


upon  the  water ;  and,  in  short,  almost  every  variety 
of  form  in  which  the  imagination  can  conjure  pictures 
of  romantic  beauty,  are  assembled  here.  To  these 
natural  qualities  of  the  scenery,  must  be  associated 
more  artificial  accessories  than  are  common  to  Amer* 
ica.  The  ruins  of  military  works  are  scattered  pro- 
fusely among  these  wild  and  ragged  hills,  and  more 
than  one  tale  of  blood  and  of  daring  is  recounted  to 
the  traveller,  as  he  glides  among  their  sombre  shadows. 
To  these  relics  of  a  former  age,  must  be  added  the 
actual  and  flourishing  establishment  at  the  "  Point," 
which  comprises  a,  village  of  academic  buildings,  bar- 
racks, and  other  adjuncts.  1  remember  nothing  more 
striking  in  its  way  than  a  view  up  one  of  the  placid 
reaches  of  this  passage.  The  even  surface  of  the 
water,  darkened  here  and  there  with  broad  shadows 
from  a  pyramid  of  rock ;  the  glorious  hue  of  a  setting 
sun  gilding  the  ereen  sides  of  a  distant  mountain, 
over  which  the  dark  passage  of  a  cloud  was  occa 
sionally  to  be  traced,  resembling  the  flight  of  some 
mighty  bird;  -with  twenty  or  thirty  lading  sails, 
whitening  the  channel,  from  whose  smooth  surface 
they  were  reflected  as  from  that  of  a  mirror,  formed 
the  picture. ' 

Above  the  Highlands,  the  river  again  assumes  a 
different  character.  From  the  bay  of  Newburg  to 
that  of  Hudson,  a  distance  at  least  of  sixty  or  seventy 
miles,  it  appears  like  a  succession  of  beautiful  lakes, 
each  reach  preserving  the  proportions  and  appear- 
ance of  a  separate  sheet  of  water,  rather  than  of  part 
of  a  river.  There  are  a  few  of  these  detached  views 
that  may  compete  with  any  of  Italy,  and  to  one  in 
particular  there  is  a  noble  back-ground  of  mountains, 
removed  a  few  miles  from  the  water,  which  are 
thrown  tosjether  in  splendid  confusion. 

From  Hudson  to  Albany,  some  thirty  miles,  the 
Hudson  acquires  more  of  the  character  of  a  river 
according  to  our  European   notions.     It  is  dotted 

Vol.  J.  T 


$o& 


THIRD  DIVISION  or  THE  RIVER. 


k  *       i  ■ 

Lir  n 


it  H 


11 


with  islands,  much  Hke  the  Seine  above  Caudebec, 
and  its  scenery  is  picturesque  and  exceedin|ly  agree- 
able. This  character,  indeed,  is  preserved  even  to 
Waterford,  a  few  miles  further,  and  above  the  point 
where  its  waters  are  increased  by  the  contributions 

of  tlie  Mohawk.  ,     •  .  .       -i     r 

At  Waterford,  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  Irom 
the  sea,  it  becomes  a  reduced  and  rural  stream,  about 
'as  large  as  the  Seine  at  Paris,  and  can  be  traced  for 
leagues,  sometimes  still,  lovely,  and  green  with 
islands,  and  sometimes  noisy,  lapid,  and  tumbling, 
until  you  reach  its  sources  in  the  rugged,  broken 
mountains  of  the  northern  counties  of  the  State. 
There  are  far  mightier  streams  in  this  country  than 
the  Hudson,  but  there  is  not  one  of  scenery  so  diver- 
sified and  so  pleasing.  The  Rhine,  with  it^  cities,  its 
hundred  castles,  and  its  inexhaustible  recollections, 
has  charms  of  its  own ;  but  when  time  shall  lend  to 
the  Hudson  the  interest  of  a  deeper  association,  its 
passage  will,  I  think,  be  pronounced  unequalled. 
At  present,  even,  it  is  not  without  a  character  of 
peculiar  moral  beauty.  The  view  of  all  the  im- 
provements of  high  civilization  in  rapid,  healthful, 
and  unequalled  progress,  is  cheering  to  philanthropy ; 
while  the  countless  villas,  country-houses,  and  even 
seats  of  reasonable  pretensions,  are  calculated  to  as- 
sure one,  that,  amid  the  general  abundance  of  life, 
its  numberless  refinements  are  not  neglected. 

The  Highlands  had  been  the  great  military  position 
of  the  Americans  during  the  struggle  for  their  inde- 
pendence. The  scattered  population  of  the  cojantry, 
at  that  time,  lay  along  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  be- 
tween the  forty-third  and  the  thirty-third  degrees  of 
latitude.  Perhaps  one  half  of  the  entire  physical 
strength  of  the  country  then  existed  in  the  States  of 
New-Eiio'lande  It  is  well  known,  that  after  the  in- 
surrection had  assumed  the  character  of  a  war, 
(ireat  Britain,  instead  of  maintaining,  was  obliged  to 


A  FAVOURITE  SCHEME  OF  THE  WAR  OF   1776.    207 

resort  to  the  more  established  principles  of  a  regular 
contest  to  recover  her  former  dominion.  She  obtain- 
ed the  possession  of  Montreal  and  New- York.    Na- 
ture, by  means  of  the  Hudson  and  the  northern  lakes, 
offered  extraordinary  facilities  of  communication  be- 
tween the  two  places ;  and  politicians,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  three  thousand  miles,  as  they  studied  the 
map,  vanily  ima^ned  that  the  cord  of  moral  connex- 
ion could  be  severed  as  easily  as  one  of  a  more  per- 
ishable nature.     It  was  believed,  that  by  marching 
armies  from  the  opposite*  extremities,  and  leaving 
sufficient  garrisons  at  the  most  important  points  along 
their  routes,  the  intercourse  between  the  eastern  and 
the  other  States  could  be  so  far  interrupted  as  to  ren- 
der conquest  certain.     There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  success  of  such  a  plan  would  for  a  time  have 
thrown   great  embarrassment   in    the   way   of  the 
Americans,  though  it  is  morally  certain   it   would 
have  assured  the  final  failure  of  the  royal  cause. 
1  he  idea  of  covering  a  country,  peopled  like  that  in 
dispute,  with  military  posts,   ought  to   have  been 
deemed  too   absurd  for  serious    consideration.     A 
power  stronger  than  even  that  of  the  bayonet  had 
already  taught  the  intended  victims  of  this  plan  confi- 
dence in  themselves  and  in  their  cause.     It  is  clear 
that  the  scheme  could   only  succeed  in  a  nation, 
whose  people  had   been   accustomed  to    consider 
themselves  as  appendages  to,  instead  of  the  control- 
lers of,  a  political  system.  It  would  have  been  giving 
to  the  Americans  a  vast  advantage  already  possessed 
by  their  etiemies,  by  dividing  the  power  of  the  latter, 
and  m  inviting  attack,  as  it  must  have  indicated  the 
points  against  which  a  superior  force  mi^t  have  been 
easily  directed.  The  expejament  was  afterwards  made 
in  the  less  populous  States  of  the  south,  and  complete- 
-J  !..!sca,  iii?,si  yji  iiit  j^arijsuijs  ueiiig  capiurea  in  suc- 
cession. One  might  almost  fancy  he  saw  the  stubborn 
yeoxLinpy  of  New-England  leaving  their  ploughs  for  a 


im^ 


208 


REASONS  AGAINST  ITS  SUCCESS. 


week,  in  order  to  mingle  in  the  pastime  of  reducing  a 
hostile  garrison.  In  short,  the  plan  was  German,  and 
however  successful  it  might  have  been  between  the 
Rhine  and  the  Danube,  it  would  have  infallibly  ended 
in  disgrace,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson.  It  did  end  in 
disgrace,  though  time  was  not  given  for  its  complete 
developement.  The  yeomanry  of  New-England,  in- 
stead of  waiting  for  that  portion  of  the  royal  force 
which  debouched  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  commu- 
nicate with  their  brethren  on  the  Hudson,  saw  fit  to 
divert  their  course,  and  noarched  the  whole  of  what 
was,  in  that  day.  a  powerful  anny,  prisoners  of  war 
to  Boston.  This  was  merely  effecting  in  gross,  that 
which,  under  other  circumstances,  would  have  infal- 
libly been  done  in  detail. 

In  America  man  had  early  discovered  that  the  so- 
cial machine  was  invented  for  his  use,  and  it  would 
have  required  something  far  more  powerful  than  the 
display  of  a  line  of  ensigns  to  direct  him  from  the 
great  object  on  which  he  had  gravely,  deliberately, 
and  resolutely  determined.  Still  as  every  foot  of  land 
acquired  was  so  far  a  conquest  as  its  sovereignty  form- 
ed a  portion  of  the  disputed  territory,  it  cannot  be 
supposed  that  the  Americans  were  indifferent  to  tlie 
possession  of  the  strongest  fortress  of  their  country, 
by  holding  the  Highlands  they  rendered  the  commu- 
nications between  the  States  more  easy,  and  they  kept 
a  constant  check  on  the  movements  of  the  royal 
forces  in  the  vastly  important  city  of  New- York. 
West  Point,  the  heart  of  their  positions  in  these 
mountains,  had  been  strongly  fortified,  and  its  defence 
was  justly  enough  considered  as  of  the  greatest  mo- 
ment to  their  cause.  After  the  arrival  of  the  French 
army  at  Rhode  Island,  a  conquest  which  had  baffled 
all  the  previous  exertions  of  the  British,  should  have 
been  abandoned  as  impossible.  It  would  seem  a  hope 
was  indulged  that  what  couJd  not  be  achieved  by 
force  of  arms,  might  be  effected  by  means  less  mar* 


ANDR£---MANNER  OP  HIS  CAPTURE. 


209 


tial.  The  ofBcer  in  command  of  West  Point,  a  man 
of  talents  and  of  great  personal  courage,  but  one  of 
depraved  morals,  was  unfortunately  disposed  to  make 
advances  which  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  the  English  com- 
mander-in-chief, was  glad  to  meet.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  British  Adjutant-General  Andre  was  employ- 
ed as  a  negotiator  on  this  occasion.  La  Fayette  had 
been  an  actor  in  some  of  the  scenes  connected  with 
this  interesting  event,  and  as  we  walked  the  deck  to- 
gether, and  gazed  upon  the  mountains  which  environ- 
ed us,  he  revived  his  own  recollections,  and  delighted 
some  half  dozen  greedy  auditors,  by  dwelling  on  the 
more  familiar  incidents  of  that  day. 

It  appears  that  a  British  sloop  of  war  had  ascended 
the  river,  and  anchored  in  a  wide  bay  a  few  miles 
below  the  entrance  of  the  Highlands.     This  sloop 
(the  Vulture)  had  brought  Major  Andre,  and,  having 
landed  him,  was  awaiting  his  return.     The  adjutant- 
general  was  induced  to  enter  within  the  lines  of  the 
American  sentinels  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  a 
knowledge  of  the  force,  condition,  and  defences  of 
his  enemy ;  an  act  that  clearly  committed  him  as  a 
spy.     His  retreat  was  rendered  difficult,  and  instead 
of  returning  to  the  Vulture,  he  assumed  a  disguise, 
and  attempted  to  regain  New- York  by  traversing  the 
intervening  county  of  West-Chester.   On  his  road  he 
was  intercepted  by  three  young  American  farmers, 
who,  according  to  the  usage  of  the  country,  were  in 
ambush  to  await  the  passage  of  any  small  party  of 
the  British,  or  of  their  friends,  who  might  chance  to 
come  that  way.     By  these  young  men  was  Andre  ar- 
rested.    The  Americans  were  in  common  parlance 
termed  the  party  above,  (in  reference  to  the  course  of 
the  river,)  and  their  foes,  the  party  below.     As  there 
was  nothing  immediately  in  view  about  the  person  of 

possible  that,  had  he  retained  his  presence  of  mind, 
ht  might,  after  a  short  detention,  have  been  permit- 

T2 


SIO 


WANT  or  PRESENCE  OF  MIND* 


ted  to  pass.     But  his  captors  manifested  much  more 
sagacity  than  tiie  British  officer  himself.  Some  allow- 
ance, however,  ought  in  justice  to  be  made  for  the 
critical  situation  of  the  latter.  He  eagerly  demanded 
'-To  which  party  do  you  belong?"    The  Americans 
a'droitly  answered  ^  below."    To  this  simple  artifice 
he  became  a  victim,  immediately  confessing  himself  a 
British  officer.     Now,  it  is  quite  plam  to  us,  who 
speculate  on  the  death  of  this  young  office  ,  that  had 
he  possessed  a  quickness  of  intellect  equal  to  the 
questionable  office  he  had  assumed,  his   miserable 
fate  might  have  been  averted.   By  assuming  the  char- 
acter of  an  American  he  would  clearly  have  been 
safest,  let  his  captors  prove  to  he  what  they  -^ould ; 
since,  if  enemies,  it  might  have  lulled  their  suspicions, 
or  if  friends,  they  would  at  most  have  conducted  him 
to  the  British  camp,  the  very  spot  he  was  risking  his 
life  to  gain.     Providence  had  ordained  it  differently. 
He  was  searched,  and  plans  of  the  works  at  the 
Point,  with  other  important  communications,  were 
found  about  his  person.     It  then  became  necessary 
'  to  entreat  and  to  promise.  Though  the  English  were 
known  to  pay  well,  and  to  possess   the  means  of 
bribing  high,  these  young  yeomen  were  true  to  the 
sacred  cause  of  their  country.     Neither  gold,  nor 
honours,  nor  dread  of  the  future,  could  divert  them 
from  their  duty.     The  helpless  adjutant-general  was 
conveyed  to  the  nearest  post,  delivered  into  the  hands 
of  its  commandant,  was  sent  to  head-quarters,  tried, 
and  finally  hanged. 

During  the  time  Arnold  was  maturing  his  work  of 
treason,  Washington  was  absent  from  the  army,  in  the 
adjoining  State  of  Connecticut,  whither  he  had  gone 
to  arrange  a  plan  for  the  ensuing  and  final  campaign 
of  the  contest,  with  the  commandant  of  the  French 
forces.  La  Fayette  was  of  the  jjarty.  It  happened 
that  these  military  chiefs  arrived  in  the  mountains  on 
the  very  morning  when  the  arrest  of  Andre  (under  a 


EXTRAORDlNAfty  COOLNESS  09   ARNOLD.    211 

fictitious  name)  was  made  known  at  »the  Point' 
1  he  residence  of  Arnold  was  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river.     The  principal  fortress,  or  the  *  Point,'  was 
nearly  opposite.     Washington   and   his   suite  were 
engaged  to  break/iist  at  the  former  place,  but  a  de- 
sire to  mspect  certain  posts  in  the  passes,  interfered 
with  the  arrangement.  Two  aides*  were  despatched 
with  an  apology,  and  a  promise  to  repair  the  failure 
at  dmner.     1  he  other  guests  were  at  table  (at  break- 
last),  when  a  letter  was  put  into  the  hands  of  Arnold, 
which  he  read  without  betraying  any  emotion.     It 
was  the  report  of  the  officer  in  advance,  that  he  had 
arrefted  a  "John  Anderson,"  of  the  British  army, 
under  circumstances  of  great  suspicion.   As  this  was 
he  name  Andre  had  assumed  by  agreement,  the  trai- 
tor instan  ly  knew  his   danger.     After  a  moment's 
pause,  he  left  the  table,  at  which  a  dozen  officers  of 
rank  had  assembled  to  greet  Washington,  and  ascend- 
ed to  his  chamber.     His  wife  had  been  able  to  pene- 
trate an  uneasiness  which  less  anxious  eyes  had  failed 
to  detect.     Apologizing  to  her  guests,  she  followed 
her  husband  to  his  room.     It  is  suspected  that  obe 
had  been  privy  to  his  intentions  to  betray  the  Amer- 
ican cause.     He  communicated  the  failure  of  the 
plan,  and  his  own  imminent  danger,  in  as  few  words 
as  possible.     He  then  left  her  in  a  swoon,  stepping 
over  her  insensible  body,  and  telling  a  maid  to  dvl 
assistance,  he  passed  through  the  room,  informing  his 
guests,  with  the  utmost  coolness,  that  his  wife  was 
seized  with  a  sudden  indisposition,  and  that  there 
was  a  necessity  for  his  own  immediate  departure  for 
he  1  oint,  in  order  to  prepare  for  the  military  recep- 
tion  of  the  commander-in-chief.  Although  the  known 

e/ifZ^S  ^"  ''f^  •  ^  ^^^^«^""gton,  afterwards  so  distinguish- 
edm  the  history  of  his  country ;  and  M'Henrv  an  aiden?r» 
Fayette.  subHfinnfintlir  So„,p*„.,.  Lr  xxr_  r..J\  ^"  ^^^^  ^^  ^» 
tlioo^  „  '  -T— --V  --•— Ciuij  ui    vTiir.    it  IS  pleasant  to  trace 

Mr°Zr" '"  "^  '"°"  •"  """  '"''  '■"'■  "rough  S 


S12 


HIS  SUCCESSFUL  AN'D  NARROW  ESCAPE. 


cupidity  of  the  man  had  excited  very  general  disgust, 
his  devotion  to  his  country,  which  had  been  tried  in 
80  many  battles,  was  not  in  the  slightest  degree  dis- 
trusted. As  yet,  you  will  remember,  he  had  all  the 
evidences  of  his  guilt  in  his  own  possession. 

Quitting  the  house,  Arnold  mounted  a  horse  be- 
longing to  one  of  his  aides,  and  galloped  a  half  a  mile 
to  a  place  where  his  barge  was  in  waiting.  He  en- 
tered the  boat  with  a  favourable  tide,  and  command- 
ed the  crew  to  pull  down  the  river.  His  object  was 
to  get  as  soon  as  possible  beyond  the  reacn  of  the 
cannon  of  the  forts.  Of  course  he  was  obeyed,  and, 
as  no  suspicions  had  been  excited,  he  was  believed 
to  be  at  the  Point,  when,  in  truth,  he  was  making 
the  best  of  his  way  along  the  lovely  mountain-river 
I  have  endeavoured  to  describe.  The  distance  to  go 
before  he  was  safe,  was  seventeen  or  eighteen  miles, 
for  all  the  commanding  points  were  in  the  keeping  of 
his  injured  countrymen.  By  the  aid  of  great  encour- 
agement, his  crew  (who  were  deceived  by  a  tale  that 
he  was  going  on  board  the  Vulture  with  a  flag  on 
urgent  business)  made  such  exertions  as  enabled  him 
to  get  through  the  lower  pass,  before  the  courier  with 
the  intelligence  of  his  treason  had  arrived.  Through- 
out the  whole  affair,  this  wretched  man,  who  has  ac- 
quired a  notoriety  that  promises  to  be  as  lasting  as 
that  of  Erostratus,  manifested  the  utmost  coolness 
and  decision.* 

Arnold  had  scarcely  got  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
cannon  on  the  Point,  when  Washington,  La  Fayette, 
and  Knox,  another  distinguished  general,  with  their 
several  suites,  arrived.   The  commander-in-chief  was 


*  The  writer  has  had  the  double  advantage  of  listening  to  the 
deeply  interesting  details  of  La  Fayette,  and  of  hearing  Arnold's 
own  statement  from  a  British  officer,  who  was  present  when  the 
latter  related  his  escape  at  a  dinner  given  in  New- York,  with  an 
impudence' that  was  scarcely  less  remarkable  than  his  surprising 
self-possession. 


be 


WANT    OF    SUSPICION    IN    WASHINGT       .         213 

naturalJj  enough  surprised  that  his  host  was  not  at 

Frnl.^  "T"^^  y^^'  ^"  ^'^^  ^^  A^"«W  (Major 
Franks)  apologized  so  warmly  for  the  absence  of  his 
general,  as  to  create  doubts  of  iiis  own  faith,  when  the 
fac  s  came  to  be  known.  After  a  short  dly,  Wash 
ington  with  most  of  the  company,  crossed  the  river 
to  the  lortress  Some  surprise  was  expressed,  as  they 
approached  the  shore,  that  no  movement  was  seen 

T11L  '^'''''^'''.^I'^^^^y  *^»^«d  without  the 
^.ghtest  evidence  of  their  being  expected  visitors. 
1  he  officer  in  command  soon  appeared,  and  made  his 
excuses  for  not  paying  his  superior  the  customary 
tr?T'  ?T*^^  ^'^""^  ^^  ignorance  that  he  was  ex- 
^JS  J  ''  not  General  Arnold  here?"  demanded 
Washington     "No,  Sir;  we  have  not  seen  him  on 

ivnrt  .""^^^^  ''^\'  *°"^">"'  Some  amazement  was 
expressed  among  the  generals ;  but  treason  was  so 
little  m  consonance  with  the  feeling  of  the  times,  that 
not  the  smallest  suspicion  was  even  yet  excited. 
Washington  continued  on  the  west  side  of  the  river, 

tn  fh.  K  7  ^""l  "^^"."f"  "^^^  "^^^'  ^*^en  ^^  returned 
to  the  abandoned  residence  of  the  fugitive,  to  comply 

Tnnl  K^!3^!PT"*  ^^  *^^  '"^r^i"?-  As  the  party 
approached  the  house.  Colonel  Hamilton,  who  had 
not  crossed  the  river,  was  seen  pacing  its  court-yard 

a  Dundle  of  papers.     He  gave  the  latter  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, and  they  retired  together.     These 
papers  were  the  plans,  &c.  found  on  the  person  o 
Andr6,  and  they  fully  explained  his  object,  and  be- 
trayed  the  gui  t   of  Arnold.     Had  not**  W;shington 

u.!a  f-  "^![' '  • ''  P'^^'^^^  *^^*  A^"«^d  would  have 
used  his  authority  to  liberate  the  British  officer,  and 
then  governed  his  own  conduct  by  circumstances; 
but  the  presence  of  thai  illustrious  man  was  fated  to 
be  of  se^rvice  to  his  country  in  more  ways  than  one. 
.»=  «a3  vQcu  seen,  tne  traitor  had  onlv  time  to  con- 


i  >   r 

I 


V- 


n 


I 


l'^  Hi 


i  I 


'i!!3-' 


H  ' 


h  1 


214 


TREASON  CONFINED  TO  ARNOLD. 


He  fled  like  a 


suit  his  own  selfish  apprehensions, 
thief. 

La  Fayette,  still  ignorant  of  what  had  occurred, 
was  dressing  for  dinner,  when  his  aide,  M'Henry,  en- 
tered for  his  pistols.  Without  explanation,  he  and 
Hamilton  mounted  their  horses,  and  gallopped  through 
the  passes  of  the  mountains,  in  order  to  interrupt  the 
flight  of  Arnold.  It  has  since  appeared,  that  the  of 
ficerin  advance  (a  Colonel  Jamieson)  had  despatched 
his  first  messenger  with  the  report  that  had  reached 
the  hands  of  Arnold  before  examining  the  papers,  but 
that  he  lost  no  time  in  repairing  the  mistake  the  in- 
stant he  had  perused  them.  This  short  interval  saved 
the  life  of  Arnold,  and  forfeited  that  of  his  associate. 
When  Washington  and  La  Fayette  met,  the  former 
put  the  report  of  Jamieson  into  the  hands  of  the  latter, 
and  said,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  "  Arnold  is  a  traitor, 
and  has  fled  to  the  British!"  General  Knox  was 
present  at  this  scene. 

Washington  now  sought  an  interview  with  the  wife 
of  the  trailer.  He  found  her  raving,  though  sensible  of 
his  presence  and  character.  She  implored  him  not  to 
injure  her,  and  was  so  completely  under  the  influence 
of  terror  as  to  beg  "  he  would  not  murder  her  child." 
Commending  her  to  the  care  of  the  attendants,  he  left 
the  room.  Notwithstanding  the  immense  stake  that 
was  involved  in  the  treason,  and  his  entire  ignoranco 
of  its  extent,  the  self-possession  of  this  extraordinary 
man  was  undisturbed.  For  a  single  moment  he  had 
appeared  to  mourn  over  the  moral  depravity  that 
2ould  expose  so  fair  a  cause  to  so  base  an  action, 
but  it  would  have  baffled  the  keenest  eye  to  have 
traced  in  his  countenance  the  existence  of  the  slightest 
alarm.  He  entered  the  dining-room  calm  and  dig- 
nified as  usual,  and  apologizing  for  the  absence  of 


UUtli  iiUSt  "aiiU  iiU5lCs3 


seated.     It  was  only  in  the  course  of  the  entertain- 
ment, so  extended  and  complete  was  the  influence 


TREASON  CONriNED  TO  ARNOLD. 


215 


of  his  collected  and  imposing  manner,  that  the  news 
of  the  event  was  circulated  from  ear  to  ear  in  whis- 
pers. 

The  commandant  of  the  advanced  post  of  the  High- 
lands, at  Stony  Point,  was  at  hand.     This  officer  (a 
Colonel  Cole)  was  a  warm  friend  and  a  protege  oi  At- 
nold.     He  had  even  carried  his  attachment  so  far,  as 
to  have  fought  a  duel  in  defence  of  the  traitor's  char- 
acter,  but  a  short  time  before  the  exposure  of  the 
treason.    Washington  now  sent  for  him.   "  Colonel," 
he  said,  "we  have  been  deceived  in  the  character  of 
General  Arnold ;  he  has  betrayed  us.    Your  post  may 
be  attacked  this  \&cy  night :  go  to  it  without  delay, 
and  defend  it,  as  I  know  you  will."   This  noble  con- 
fidence was  not  misplaced.   Cole  could  with  difficulty 
speak.     Pressing  his  hand  on  his  heart,  he  found 
words  merely  to  fitter—"  Your  excellency  has  more 
than  rewarded  all  I  have  done,  or  ever  can  do  for  my 
country,"   and  departed.     Is  there  not  something 
noble,  and  worthy  of  the  b'est  days  of  classic  recol- 
lection, in  the  single-minded  and  direct  character 
which  marked  the  events  of  this  glorious  contest? 
One  loves  to  dwell  on  that  integrity,  which  having 
been  compelled  to  give  credit  to  one  act  of  baseness, 
refuses  to  believe  that  another  can  be  meditated.     I 
know  no  fact  more  honourable  to  the  American  char- 
acter than  the  one  which  proves  that,  notwithstanding 
the  great  trust  and  high  character  the  traitor  had  once 
enjoyed,  his  influence  ended  the  instant  he  was  known 
to  be  unworthy  of  confidence.     While  on  board  the 
Vulture,  he  essayed  in  vain  to  tempt  the  serjeant  and 
SIX  men,  who  composed  the  crew  of  his  own  boat,  to 
follow  his  fortunes,  though  every  offer  which  might 
tempt  men  of  their  class  was  resorted  to,  in  order  to 
induce  them  to  change  their  service.     "  If  General 

Arnold  lilrpQ  fhpi  Tf  ino-  nf  P.nrrl.in/1    ^r.^■  u:«»^  «^ ui «* 

said  the  stubborn  serjeant;  "wjc  love  our  country, 
and  intend  to  live  or  die  in  support  of  her  cause.-' 


J    '1  :'*-:;S^%;! 


|r »' 


^i 


tfl 


if 


216 


IMPUDENT  LETTER  OF  ARNOLD. 


The  traitor  must  have  felt  the  bitter  degradation  of 
his  fdll,  even  in  this  simple  evidence  of  his  waning 
power.  Exasperated  at  their  refusal,  Arnold  would 
have  kept  them  as  prisoners,  but  the  English  captain 
was  far  too  honourable  to  lend  himself  to  so  disgrace- 
ful a  tj  ansaction.  They  returned  as  they  came,  under 
the  protection  of  a  flag. 

The  day  passed  away  in  the  reflections  and  pre 
cautions  oUch  a  discovery  would  be  likely  to  produce. 
In  the  evening  the  barge  returned  from  the  Vulture, 
bearing  an  insolent  letter  from  the  traitor  to  the  com* 
mander-in-chief,  in  which,  among  other  undignified 
and  vain  threats,  he  denounced  the  vengeance  of  his 
new  masters,  unless  certain  conditions  which  he 
wished  to  impose,  were  implicitly  regarded.  The 
impetuous  character  of  Washington's  native  temper 
is  as  well  known  as  the  unrivalled  self-command  he 
had  acquired.  While  his  eye  glanced  over  this  im- 
pudent and  characteristic  communication  from  Ar- 
nold, it  appeared,  by  his  countenance,  as  if  a  burst  of 
mighty  indignation  was  about  to  escape  him.  Re- 
covenng  himself  as  it  were  by  magic,  he  turned  to 
one  of  his  aides  with  surprising  moderation  and  dig- 
nity, and  said,  "  Go  to  Mrs.  Arnold,  and  inform  her, 
that,  though  my  duty  required  no  means  should  be 
neglected  to  arrest  General  Arnold,  1  have  great 
pleasure  in  acquainting  her  that  he  is  now  safe  on 
board  a  British  vessel  of  war." 

It  ought  to  be  added  that,  while  the  American  gov- 
ernment proceeded  steadily  to  their  object  throughout 
the  rest  of  this  interesting  transaction,  guided  only  by 
their  reason,  and  utterly  disregarding  the  menaces  of 
the  English  general,  the  wife  of  the  traitor  continued 
to  receive  every  attention  which  delicacy  could  pre- 
scribe. She  was  permitted  to  go  first  to  her  friends 
m  Philadelphia,  and  soon  after  was  sent,  under  the 
protection  of  a  flag,  to  her  husband  in  iN"ew-York. 
There  is  something  consoling  to  humanity  to  find, 


i  '■tfA% 


li  0' 


SttUAtlON   or    AVDBE. 


5i7 


Ittj  *  "'^"jent  when  war  is  assuming  its  most 
Ztf^  ""f  ^^"}^  '°""^'  *at  principlls  carbe 
that  the  ihore  sacred  ties  of  society  shall  be  in  danger 

be  co'nS  ^f**  *'■"''•*  ?''"  ''r'''^  ^"'l  -Impendent  m^^ 
be  confident  of  receiving  the  tenderness  and  protect 
(ion  which  are  ttieir  due.        •"        ''      "^^  !">»== 

solWtuSl.flnfh'^'^  ^-"^  ^"  "'V^^t  "ftbe  keenest 
nf  h^  of  .  ?  !r"'f  •  ^"^  *e  commencement 
of  the  struggle,  to  the  last  hour  of  its  continuance 

he  American  authorities  had  acted  with  a  modeS 

thant&l^Sf.r"%*=''^"'^'^'-  <■"'  """'^  °°We 
than  that  of  a  rebellion.    In  no  one  instance  had  the 

war  been  permitted,  on  their  part,  to  assume  the  an- 

nature  B,h^"^-  ^Zf^  "^""^  "ghts  of  human 
nature.     But  a  crisis  had  arrived  when  it  was  to  be 

K  rtii- V- ^^r.i;''^  1"^  *°  ^*P°'«  the  defenc^ 
P6wer=-^?fr>>  I'  *?  *!  thi-^^te^eJ  retaliation  of  , 
fh  Jt  -  /  ;  ^"S."'  ".  *^  "-ayward  feeling  of  man. 
tha  It  IS  far  less  offensive  to  his  power  to  kill  a  gen^ 

iThlf  rP*'"  '=°"«''=''.*'«'  to  lead  a  subordinate^de- 
liberateJy  to  an  execution,  which  is  sanctioned  only  by 

eirT'^fi-"*^"'^-  ■»  *^  P'«'«"t  instance, how^ 
ever,  the  oflender  was  not  only  an  o^cer  of  a  high  and 

himself  dear  to  the  army  by  his  amiable  qualities,  and 
eminently  useful  to  its  commander  by  hisVinmente 

hit  ;'T"f  r»  °'■''?8^  ^°'*  h°«o»rable  mfndi; 
there  can  be  but  on^  opinion  concerning  the  merit 
of  his  enterprise.     There  is  something  so  repuS 

o„7„7f^''  sehtiment  in  treason,  tL  heVIo  ?, 
content  to  connect  himself,  ever  so  remotely,  with  its 

odiur^'l^T'  ""Tt*-  '"uf'^P^  altogetjier  from  it, 
odium.     It  is  true  that  public  ouinion  ha=  «r  .,- 

sity  fixed  bounds  which  military  men  may  approach! 
without  commming  their  cha/aoter,  fo?  manlinS 
and  honour.     W  ithout  this  privilege,  it  is  plain  that 


',  "■  -s 


21,8         OPINION  OF  Andre's  enterprise. 

a  general  could  not  arrive  at  the  knowledge  which  is 
requisite  to  enable  him  to  protect  his  command  atgainst 
attempts,  that  admit  of  no  other  control,  than  the 
law  or  the  strongest.  But  it  is  also  true,  that  the 
same  sentiment  has  said  it  is  dangerous  to  reputation 
to  paiss  these  very  limits.  Thus,  while  an  officer  may 
communicate  with,  and  employ  a  spy,  he  can  scarcely 
with  impunity,  become  a  spy  himself.  There  is  no 
doUc/t  that  the  motive  and  tne  circumstances  may  so 
far  qualify,  even'  more  equivocal  acts,  as  to  change 
their  moral  nature.  Thus,  Alfred,  seeking  to  vindi- 
cate the  unquestionable  rights  of  his  country,  was  no 
less  invested  with  the  moral  majesty  of  a  king,  while 
wandering  through  the  Danish  camp,  than  when 
melted  on  his  throne;  but  it  may  be  permitted  to 
doubt  whether  the  young  military  aspirant,  who  sees 
only  his  personal  preferment  in  the  distance,  has  a 
claim  tb  be  judged  with  the  same  lenity. 

Major  Andr6  was  the  servant  of  a  powerful  and 
liberal  government,  that  was  known  never  to  reward 
niggardly,  and  the  war  jn  which  he  served,  was  waged 
to  aggrandize  its  power,  and  not  to  assert  any  of  the 
natural  rights  of  man.  With  doubtful  incentives,  and 
for  the  attainment  of  such  an  object,  did  this  accom- 
plished young  soldier  condescend  to  prostitute  his  high 
acquirements,  and  to  tamper  with  treason.  He  did 
more.  He  overstepped  the  coy  and  reserved  distance 
which:  conscious  dignity  preserves,  even  while  it 
stoops  to  necessity,  and  entered  familiarly  and  per- 
sonally into  the  details  of  the  disgusting  bargain.  The 
mere  technicalities  of  posts  and  sentinels,  though  they 
ma^  be  important  for  the  establishment  of  rules  which 
are  to  soften  the  horrors  of  war,  can  have  but  little 
influence  on  the  moral  views  of  his  conduct.  The 
higher  the  attainments  of  the  individual,  the  greater 
must  have  been  the  flexibility  which  could  see  onlv 
the  reward  in  an  undertaking  like  thi?.  As  to  the 
Commonplace  sentiment  of  serving  king  and  country, 


^T 


..IC' 


MOTIVES  FOR  HIS  PUNISHMENT. 


219 


every  man  of  'an  honest  nature  must  feeJ  that  he 
would  have  done  more  honour  to  his  sovereign  and 
to  himself  by  proving  to  the  world,  that  the  high  trust 
he  enjoyed  was  discharged  by  a  man  who  disdained 
lending  his  talents  to  the  miserable  work  of  decep- 
tion, than  by  degrading  his  office,  his  character,  and 
his  name,  by  blending  them  all,  iti  such  familiar  union, 
with  treachery.  In  short,  while  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  the  office  of  a  spy  may  be  made  doubly  honour- 
able by  its  motives,  since  he  who  discharges  the 
dangerous  duty  may  have  to  conquer  a  deep  moral 
reluctance  to  its  service,  no  less  than  the  fe?ir  of 
death,  I  think  it  must  be  allowed  that  the  case  of 
Major  Andre  was  one  that  can  plead  no  such  extra- 
ordinary exemption  from  the  common  and,  creditable 
feeling  of  mankind.    -  '-  'i»-1  s 

The  Americans  were  determined  to  assert  the  dig- 
nity of  their  governm'jnt.  The  question  was  not  one 
of  vengeance,  or  even  one  of  mere  protection  from 
similar  dangers  in  future.  It  involved  the  more  lofty 
considerations  of  sovereignty.  It  w*as  necessary  to 
show  the  world  that  he  who  dared  to  assail  the  rights 
of  the  infant  and  struggling  republics,  incurred  a 
penalty  as  fearful  as  he  who  worked  his  treason  against 
the  majesty  of  a  king.  The  calmness,  the  humanity, 
the  moderation,  and  the  inflexible  firmness,  with  which 
this  serious  duty  was  performed,  are  wbrthy  of  all 
praise.  While  the  English  general  was  vainly  resort- 
ing to  menaces,  the  American  authorities  were  pro 
ceeding  with  deliberation  to  their  object.  A  feeling 
of  universal  compassion  was  excited  in  favour  of  him 
who  had  been  captured,  which  probably  received 
some  portion  of  its  intenseness  from  the  general  indig- 
nation against  him  who  had  escaped.  While  the 
necessity  of  an  example,  in  an  offence  as  grave  as 

+Vs»e       ■\-%rna       "t^li-     \\xr    mil        >i-     m^^.i^I^^J      ».      -.__.. 1! :1 

iiiic,     t\a.a     ivit     uj    cill,     n.    IcCjUIlCU     liW     UCCUiiUI"    IJlUfal 

vision  to  see  that  the  real  criminal  was  free.     Some 
time  is  said  to  have  been  lost,  during  which  Wash- 


11  * 


.'.% 


?30  ADm^^gl^^QA^UpUR  OF  ANDRE.     "' 

mgton  had  reasonable  hopes  of  capturing  Arnold,* 
m  which  case  he  intended  that  justice  should  be 
jppeased  by  one  victinri.  But  this  plan  wa?  frustrated 
by  an  unforeseen  occurrence,  and  then  it  became 
necessary  to  let  the  law  take  its  course, 
f  -It  has  often  been  erroneously  stated,  that,  anxious 
to  vindicate  himself  in  the  eyes  of  foreign  nations, 
VVashingtoa  employed  the  European  generals  in  the 
service,  on  the  court  which  was  to  decide  the  fate 
of  Andre.     Everi/  general  officer  in  his   army  was 

du!k?^^^^^*^^^^^'  ^'^'^^^^'^^^^  were  necessarily  Jat 

Whatever  might  have  been  the  original  error  of 
Aodre,  m  accepting  a  duty  of  so  doubtful  a  nature, 
there  i»  bqt  one  opinion  of  his  subsequent  condact. 
it  was  highly  noble  and  manly.    The  delicacy  of  the 
court,  and  his  own  frankness,  were  alike  admirable, 
i  hough  adinomshed  to  say  nothing  that  mieht  com- 
mit hmiselt;  he  disdained  subterfuge,  or  even  con- 
^e^ment.   A  pretence  had  b^en  set  up  by  the  British 
general,  that  he,  h^d  entered  the  American  ranks 
under  the  protection  of  a  flag.    He  was  asked  if  he 
WDf^elt  had  eqtertained  such  an  opinion.     "Had  I 
come  with  a  flag,  1  might  have  returned  with  a  tiag :" 
was  his  nob  e  answer.  Hehad  landed  at  the  entrance 
o'tne  Highlands,  and  at  a  point  where  a  sentinel  had 
not  been  posted  for  a  long  time.     It  was  thought,  in 
the  army,  that  Arnold  had  caused  a  sentinel  ta  be 
posted  there  anew  as  a  precaution  of  safety,  in  the 
case  of  detection.    He  might  have  pretended  that  his 
only  object^was  to  entrap  his  enemy.    Andre  himself 
confessed,  that  when  hailed  by  this  sentinel,  he  thought 
himself  lost.    This  confession,  alone,  had  other  proofs 
been  wantm-,  was  enough  to  show  his  own  opinion 
of  the  legal  character  of  his  enterprise.  He  proceeded 
however,  and  was  conducted  by  Arnold  farther  into 

— '^"^^ "  . 

*  S»e  Jlistorr  of  Swjeant  Champe,  in  Lee's  Meraioira, 


:  i'^< 


HIS  ^*OfttE  CO\*£)UCT,  AND  DISAPPOINTMENT.     S^f 

the  works,  (how  far  is  not  known,)  and  then,  he  con- 
cluded, after  having  confessed  these  circumstances 
himself,  "I  was  induced  to  put  on  this  wretched 
coat !"  laying  his  hand  on  the  sleeve  of  the  disguise 
he  had  assumed.  The  opinion  of  the  court  was 
unanimous :  he  was  judged  to  come  perfectly  within 
the  technical  denomination  of  a  spy,  and  was  sen 
tenced  to  meet  the  fate  of  one. 

After  his  condemnation.  Major  Andre  received 
every  possible  indulgence.  A  fruitless  negotiation 
took  place  between  the  adverse  generals,  with  a 
hope,  on  the  part  of  Clinton,  to  intimidate,  and  on  the 
part  of  Washington  in  order  to  manifest  a  spirit  of 
moderation,  no  less  thah  to  give  the  time  necessary  to 
complete  the  plan  to  arrest  the  arch-traitor.  It  was 
once  suggested  to  Andre  that  he-  might  still  be  ex- 
i  changed  for  Arnold.  "If  Arnold  could-—"  said  Ham- 
ilton, who  made  the  profler.  "Stop,*^  returned  the 
condemned  man,  "such  a  proposition  can  never  come 
from  we." 

There  is  reason  to  think  that  Andre  had  soothed 
himself  in  the  earlier  part  of  his  captivity,  with  hopes 
that  were  fated  to  be  deceived.   It  had  been  the  mis- 
fortune  of  the  English  to  undervalue  the  Americans, 
and  it  is  quite  in  nature  for  a  young  man,  who,  it  is 
well  known,  had  often  indulged  in  bitter  sarcasms 
against  enemies  he  despised,  to  believe  that  a  nation 
he  held  so  cheap,  must  have  some  of  his  own  awe  of 
a  government  and  a  power  he   thought  invincible 
It  is  certain  he  always  spoke  of  Sir  Henry  Chnton 
(the  English  commander-in-chief)  with  the  affection 
and  confidence  of  a  child,  until  he  received  his  last 
letter,  which  he  read  in  much  agitation,  thrust  into 
his  pocket,  and  never  afterwards  mentioned  his  gen- 
eral's name.     He  confessed  his  ancient  prejudices, 
but  admitted  they  were  all  removed  by  the"  tender 
treatment  he  had  received.   He  neither  acknowledged 
nor  denied  the  justice  of  his  sentence.     It  is  known, 

U2 


p 

1 

i 

1 

■■' 

^P 

♦ 

i 

1 

I 

' 

vm 


S22       HIS  P^ATH — CONDUCT  OF  WASHINGTON". 

that  though  he  experienced  a  momentary  shock  at 
finding  he  was  to  suffer  on  a  gallows,  he  met  his  death 
heroically,  and  died  amid  the  tears  of  all  present. 

There  were  in  England  (naturally  enough  perhaps) 
many  who  affected  to  helieve  this  execution  had 
sullied  the  fair  character  of  Washington.  But  these 
miserable  moralists  and  their  opinions  have  parsed 
away  ;  and  while  they  are  consigned  to  oblivion  to- 
gether, the  fame  they  thought  to  have  impeached  is 
brightening,  as  each  day  proves  how  difficult  it  is  to 
imitate  virtues  so  rare.  Among  impartial  and  intelli- 
gent men,  this  very  act  of  dignity  and  firmness, 
tempered  as  it  was  bj  so  much  humanity,  adds  to  the 
weight  of  his  imposing  character. 

We  came-to  at  West  Point,  where  La  Fayette 
landed  amid  a  magnificent  uproar  of  echoes,  which 
repeated,  from  the  surrounding  mountains,  the  quick 
discharges  of  a  small  park  of  artillery.  The  great 
military  school  of  the  repubfic  is  established  here. 
The  buildings  stand  on  an  elevated  plain,  which  is 
washed  by  the  river  on  two  of  its  sides,  and  is  closely 
environed  with  rocky  mountains  on  the  others.  It  is 
altogether  a  wild  and  picturesque  scene,  equalling  in 
beauty  almost  any  that  I  remember  to  have  visited. 
Perhaps  r.  better  site  could  not  possibly  have  been 
selected  tor  the  purpose  to  which  it  is  at  present 
devoted,  than  West  Point.  The  ^/^re^,  who  are  to  all 
intents  young  soldiers,  enjoy,  by  means  of  the  river, 
and  the  great  number  of  steam-boats  that  pass  and 
repass  each  hour  of  the  day,  the  advantage  of  speedy 
communication  with  the  largest  town  in  the  country, 
while  they  are  as  completely  secluded  by  their  nearly 
inaccessible  mountains,  as  can  be  desired.  It  is  quite 
common  for  travellers  to  pass  a  few  hours  at  this' spot ; 
a  circumstance  which  affords  to  the  cadets  the  incen- 

X? -/• A .4.   l^i-^-^r^r-ir     Jr»     *K/ain    £ia<-oV»liel-ltv»r»nf      f\W 

the  part  of  the  better  portion  of  the  community,  while 
the;/  are  completely  protected  from  the  danger  of 


TON*. 

y  shock  at 
et  his  death 
present, 
gh  perhaps) 
ciition  had 

But  these 
ave  parsed 
oblivion  to- 
ipeached  is 
icult  it  is  to 

and  intelli- 
d  firmness, 
,  adds  to  the 

La  Fayette 
hoes,  which 
s,  the  quick 

The  great 
lished  here, 
n,  which  is 
nd  is  closely 
thers.  It  is 
equalling  in 
lave  visited. 

have  been 
5  at  present 
ho  are  to  all 
:>(  the  river, 
at  pass  and 
ge  of  speedy 
the  country, 
'  their  nearly 
.  It  is  quite 
at  this' spot; 
;ts  the  incen- 

liel-fctvi^rkf      An 

mnity,  while 
e  danger  of 


MiLlTAav   ACADEMY. 


m 


intercourse  with  the  worst.  The  discipline,  order, 
neatness,  respectability,  and  scientific  progress  of  the 
young  men,  are  all  admirable.  It  is  scarcely  saying 
too  much  to  add,  that  perhaps  no  similar  institution 
in  the  world  is  sup^irior.  In  Europe  the  military 
student  may  enjoy  some  means  o(  instruction  that' 
cannot  be  obtained  here,  (though  scarcely  in  the 
schpols,)  but,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  high  moral 
advantages,  that  are  peculiar  to  this  country.  As 
detailed  reports,  however,  are  annually  made  con- 
cerning the  state  of  this  school,  it  is  unnecessary  for 
me  to  enter  into  a  more  minute  account  of  the  situa- 
tion in  which  I  found  it.  I  shall  therefore  content 
myself  with  adding,  that  there  are  between  two  and 
three  hundred  students,  who  devote  four  years  to  the 
school,  that  they  undergo  numberless  severe  examina- 
tions, and  that  those  who  are  found  wanting  are 
invariably  dismissed,  without  fear  or  favour,  while 
those  who  pass  are  as  regularly  commissioned  to  serve 
in  the  army  of  the  confederation. 


TO  THE  COMTE  JULES  DE  BETHIZY, 

Sfc.  Sfc. 


New-York, 


Neither  the  geographical  situation  of  the  United 
States,  nor  the  iiabits  of  their  citizens,  are  very  fa- 
vourable to  the  formation  of  a  military  character. 
Though  the  republic  has  actually  been  engaged  in 
six  wars,  since  the  year  1 776,  only  two  have  been. 
Oi  a  nature  to  require  the  services  of  land  troops  in 
the  field.  The  two  struggles  with  England  vvere 
close,  and  always,  for  the  number  enjs^atred  in  the 


224 


PHYSICAL   rORCE  or  TH£  MEN. 


combats,  obstinate  and  bloody,  but  the  episode  of  a 
war  with  France  in  1799,  the  two  with  Algiers,  and 
that  with  Tripoli,  only  gave  occasion  for  the  courage 
and  skill  of  the  marine. 

By  studying  the  character  of  the  people,  and  by 
looking  closely  into  their  history,  it  will  be  found 
that  they  contain  the  elements  to  form  the  best  of 
troops.  In  point  of  physique  they  are  certainly  not 
surpassed.  So  far  as  the  eye  can  judge,  1  should  say 
that  men  of  great  stature  and  strength  are  about  as 
common  in  America  as  elsewhere;  while  small  men 
are  more  rare.  I  am  much  inclined  to  think  that  the 
aggregate  of  mere  animal  force  would  be  found  to  be 
somewhat  above  the  level  of  Europe  in  its  best  parts. 
This  is  not  at  all  surprising,  when  one  remembers 
the  excellence  and  abundance  of  nutriment  which  is 
within  the  reach  of  the  very  poorest.  Though  little 
men  are,  without  *doubt,  seen  here,  they  are  by  no 
means  as  frequent  as  in  England,  in  the  southern 
provinces  of  France,  in  Italy,  Austria,  and  indeed 
almost  every  where  else.* 

As  might  be  expected,  the  military  qualities  which 
the  Americans  have  hitherto  exhibited,  are  more  re- 
sembling those  which  distinguish  the  individual  char- 
acter of  the  soldier,  than  those  higher  attainments 
which  mark  an  advanced  knowledge  of  the  art  of  war. 
As  courage  in  its  best  aspect  is  a  moral  attribute,  a 
nation  of  freemen  must  always  be  comparatively 
brave.  In  that  collective  energy  which  is  the  fruit  of 
discipline,  the  Americans,  except  in  a  few  instances, 
have  been  sadly  deficient ;  but  in  that  personal  spirit, 
for  which  discipline  is  merely  a  substitute,  they  have 
as  often  been  remarkable.  They  arie  certainly  the 
only  people  who  have  been  known  to  resist,  with 
repeated  success,  in  their  character  of  armed  citizens, 


*  The  writer  afterwarda  found  what  he  is  almost  temptod  to 
,call  a  race  of  big  mon  in  the  south-western  States. 


episode  of  B 
Algiers,  and 
the  courage 

jple,  and  by 
11  be  found 

the  best  of 
certainly  net 
I  should  say 
are  about  as 
!  small  men 
link  that  the 

found  to  be 
ts  best  parts. 

remembers 
ent  which  is 
"hough  little 
;y  are  by  no 
he  southern 

and  indeed 

ilities  which 
ire  more  re- 
vidual  char- 
attainments 
le  art  of  war. 
attribute,  a 
»mparatively 
5  the  fruit  of 
w  instances, 
rsonal  spirit, 
:e,  they  have 
:ertainly  the 
resist,  with 
ned  citizens, 


ost  temptod  to 
s. 


MILITIA ITS  CHARACTER A   COMPARISOK.    226 

die  efforts  of  the  disciplined  troops  of  modern  times. 
The  militia  and  national  guards  of  Europe  should  not 
be  compared  to  the  militia  of  America,  for  the  for- 
mer have  always  been  commanded  and  drilled  by 
expenenced  soldiers ;  while  the  latter,  though  regu- 
larly ofhcered,  have  been  led  to  the  field  by  men  in 
all  respects  as  ignorant  as  themselves.  And  yet, 
when  placed  in  situations  to  rely  on  their  personal 
efforts,  and  on  their  taanual  dexterity  in  the  use  of 
arms,  they  have  often  been  found  respectable,  and 
sometinies  stubborn  and  unconquerable  enemies. 

The  investigation  of  this  subject  has  led  me,  per- 
haps,  into  a  singular  comparison.    At  the  great  battle 
of  Waterloo,  the  actual  English  force  in  the  field  is 
said  to  have  been  36,000  men.     These  troops  un- 
dauntedly bore  the  assault  of  perhaps  rather  naore 
than  an  equal  number.     This  assault  was  supported 
by  a  tremendofus  train  of  artillery,  and  directed  by 
the  talents  of  the  greatest  captain  of  the  age.    It  en- 
dured,  including  the  cannonading  of  the  artillery,  for 
at  least  five  hours.    The  official  account  of  the  British 
loss  18  9,999  men,  killed  and  wounded.    At  the  affair 
of  Bunker's  hill,  the  Americans  might  have  had  be- 
tween 2,000  and  2,300  yeomen  actually  engaged. 
Though  these  men  were  marshalled  in  companies, 
their  captamft  knew  little  more  of  military  service 
than  the  men  themselves.     There  was  positively  noi 
commander,  in  the  usual  sense  of  th^  word.     The^ 
aptitude  of  these  people  soon  enables  them  to  assume 
the  form  of  an  army ;  but  it  is  plain  that  nothing  ex- 
cept practice  can  impart  the  habits  necessary  to  create 
good  troops.    At  Bunker's  hill,  they  enjoyed,  in  their 
preliminary  proceedings,  the  advantage  of  a  certain 
decree  of  order  and  method,  that  elevated  them  some- 
thing, it  is  true,  above  an  armed  mob ;  but  it  is  probr 
able  that  they  could  not  have  made,  with  any  tolera^ 
ble  accuracy,  a  singly  complicated  movement  at  their 
greatest  leisure,  much  less  in  the  confusion  of  a  com* 


^  I  -t 


556      LOSSES  or  WATERLOO  AND  BUNKER^S  HILL. 

bttt.  Just  80  far,  then,  as  the  ability  to  place  them- 
ielves  behind  their  imperfect  defences  with  a  certain 
military  front  was  an  advantage,  they  might  be  deem- 
ed soldiers ;  but  in  all  other  respects  they  were 
literally  the  ordinary  inhabitants  of  (he  country,  with 
very  indifferent  fire-arms  in  their  hands.  A  great 
deal  has  been  said  of  the  defences  and  of  the  position 
of  Bunker's  hill.  It  is  not  possible  to  conceive  a  re- 
doubt better  situated  for  an  assault  than  the  little 
mound  of  earth  in  question.  It  could  be  approached 
within  a  short  distance  with  perfect  impunity,  and 
might  easily  be  turned.  It  was  approacned  in  this 
manner,  and  it  was  turned.  As  to  the  rail  fences  on 
the  level  land  beneath,  where  much  of  the  combat 
was  fought,  and  where  the  British  were  twice  repulsed 
with  terrible  loss,  the  defences  were  rather  ideal  than 
jJositive.  Now,  against  this  force,  and  thus  posted, 
the  Engiish  general  directed  3,000  of  his  best  troops. 
His  attack  was  supported  by  field  artillery,  by  the  fire 
of  a  heavy  battery  on  an  adjacent  height,  and  by  that 
of  ceveral  vessels  of  war.  The  Americans  were  in- 
capable of  making  any  movements  to  profit  by  the 
trifling  advantages  their  position  did  afford,  and  they 
had  no  artillery.  They  merely  remained  stationary 
to  await  the  assault,  relying  solely  on  that  quality  of 
moral  firmness,  and  on  that  aptitude  which  i;  is  the 
object  of  this  statement  to  elucidate  by  a  comparison 
of  the  results  of  this  combat  with  the  results  of  Wa- 
terloo. The  English  made  three  different  attacks. 
Their  average  contin\:fance  under  the  fire  of  the 
Americans  was  less  than  fifteen  minute?.  Their  loss 
was  certainly  1056  men,  and  possibly  more,  for  it  is 
not  probable  tliat  their  general  would  be  fond,  under 
the  peculiar  circumstances,  of  proclaiming  its  full 
extent.     Here,  then,  assuming  our  data  to  be  true, 

/anri    iUat    fViPv    nrg    QnV»cta"^ia'lv  SO    1    t'l^llv    beHeVP-^ 

we  have  a  greater   comparative  loss  produced  by 
-5,500  husbandmen,  armed  solely  with  muskets,  in 


HEASOlfS  FOR  APTITUDE  OV  THE  PEOPLE.       227 

forty-fiye  minutes,  than  was  produced  by  aU  the 
re.  crated  and  bloody  attacks  at  Waterloo.  After 
making  the  necessary  deductions  for  the  difference  in 
effec  between  great  and  small  numbers,  it  will  be 
found  that  there  IS  something  peculiar  in  the  destruc^ 

trv"  TZ'mf  ^lu^  P^"^"^  citizens  of  this  coun- 
try.  I  should  not  have  drawn  this  comparison,  if  it 
were  not  to  demonstrate  what  I  believe  to  be  one  of 

inVnf  ?h  L""'"'^^"^"?'  of  thegeneral  dissemina- 
tion  of  thought  m  a  people.  The  same  directness  o( 
application  is  observable  in  the  manner  that  the 
Americaa  handles  his  arms,  as  in  handling  his  plough. 
The  battles  of  this  country,  both  by  s4  and  land 
wheQ  there  has  been  sufficient  inducement  to  make 
their  undisciplined  bodies  fight  at  all,  have  always 
been  distinguished  for  their  destruction.  Many  of 
their  officers  have  been  so  certain  of  the  fatal  effect* 
(L'^^'l  ^^".firejis  to  have  implored  their  men 

mihtia)  to  give  but  two  or  three  discharges,  and 
they  would  ansvyer  for  the  victory  with  their  heada 
No  doubt  they  often  failed  in  theii- e..reatiSffor  the 
history  of  their  wars  is  full  of  frank  and  m;nly  ac 
knowledgments  of  cases  in  which  the  militia  yieldei 
to  the  force  of  nature;  but  it  is  also  full  of  instances  in 
which  their  eloquence  or  infl  ence  had  more  effect 
and  these  have  always  proved  fatally  destructive  to 
their  enemies.  The  battle  of  New-Orleans  will  fur- 
nisli  a  subject  for  a  similar  comparison. 

1  here  is  another  point  of  view,  in  which  it  is  con- 
dolatory to  study  the  short  military  history  of  this 
country.  The  States  of  New-EngJand,  in  which  in- 
tormation  has  been  so  generally  diffused,  have  always 
been  the  ruost  dangerous  to  assail.  A  powerful  force 
(for  the  times  and  the  duty)  was,  in  the  war  of  1775 
early  driven  disgracefully  from  their  soil  by  the  peo- 

^     : -•'o'"--.i,    ^s- KJ  viuc,  i-apia,  preaaiory  ex- 

cursions  were  afterwards  made  in  the  country,  but  " 
always  under  the  protection  '-f  a  superior  naval  force, 


rl'     ■> 


I', 


Iff   ■•;•    •' 

a   1      ' 


!1 
1 1 


If 


228       QOALITY  6r  TItOOPS  WHtN  DISCtVLlNED. 

and  with  the  most  jealous  watchfulness  of  detention. 
The  only  time  that  an  army  of  any  magnitude  was 
trusted  to  manoeuvre  near  their  borders  for  a  cam- 
paign, it  was  assailed,  surrounded,  and  captured. 
Such  are  the  fruits  of  intelligence,  disseminated  among 
21  people,  that,  while  it  Adds  to  all  their  sources  of 
enjoyment,  it  gives  a  double  security  to  their  pofr 

session 

It  would  be  vain  to  deny  the  exeellence  of  th6 
American  troops  when  properly  equipped  and  disci- 
plined.    If  the  English  soldiers  are  admitted  to  be  as 
good  as  common,  the  Americans  are  equal  to  the  best. 
I  have  examined  with  deep  interest  the  annals  of  both 
their  wars,  and  I  can  find  but  a  soHtary  instance  in 
•which  (other  things  being   equal)  their  disciplined 
troops  have  been  defeated  in  open  combat.     Their 
generals   have  often  been  out-man<ftuvred  and  de- 
servedly disgraced;   but  their  disciplined  soldiers, 
when  fairly  engaged,  have,  except  in  the  case  named 
(Hobkirk's  hill,)  invaHably  done  well.  The  rnstanees 
in  which  drilled  soldiers  have  been  left  to  their  own 
efforts,  are  certainly  rare,  compared  to  those  in  which 
Ihey  have  been  blended  with  nominal  regulars  and 
aiilitia ;  but  they  are  sutBciently  numerous  to  show 
l^e  qualities  of  the  troops.    I  refer  you  to  the  affairs 
of  Cowpens,  Eutaw,  and  to  the  whole  war  of  the 
fouth,  under  Greene,  which  was  almost  all  the  service 
that  was  exclusively  done  with  drilled  men  in  the 
revolution,  and  to  the  battles  on  the  Niagara,  during 
cth«?  late  war.  There  are  also  many  instances  in  which 
the  regular  troops  (drilled  men)  did  excellent  service, 
in  battles  where  they  were  defeated  in  consequence 
of  being  too  few  to  turn  the  fate  of  the  day. 
.^i  it  is  another  evidence  Of  the  eflfects  of  general  intel- 
ligence, that,  disciplined  Or  not,  the  Americans  are 
afways  formidable  when  entrenched.  They  have  been 
•urprised  (not  as  often,  perhaps,  as  they  have  surprise 
ed,)  taken  by  siege,  though  rarely,  and  frequently  dis- 


LIVED. 

[)f  detention, 
ignitude  was 
8  for  a  cam- 
id  captured, 
nated  among 
[T  sources  of 
to  their  poB^ 

lence  of  the 
ed  and  disci*- 
ittedto  be  as 
eii  to  the  best, 
innals  of  both 
y  instance  in 
ir '  disciplined 
nbat.  Their 
yrred  and  de- 
[ned  soldiers, 
e  case  nanied 
rhe  instances 
.  to  their  own 
hose  in  which 

regulars  and 
rous  to  show 
[  to  the  affairs 
le  war  of  the 
all  the  service 
i  men  in  the 
iagara,  during 
nces  in  which 
ellent  service, 

consequence 
B  day. 

'  general  intel- 
Americans  are 
hey  havebeen 
f  have  surprise 
frequently  dis- 


PRESENT  DISPOSITION  OF  THE  COUNTRY.       229 

graced  by  the  want  of  ability  in  their  chiefs,  but  sel- 
dom carried  by  open  assault.  Indeed,  I  can  find  but 
one  instance  of  the  latter  (if  Bunker's  hill  be  excepted, 
where  they  retreated  for  want  of  ammunition,  after 
repelling  the  English  as  long  as  they  had  it,)  in  a  case 
of  any  inr>portance,  and  in  that  the  assault  partook  of 
the  nature  of  a  surprise  (Fort  Montgomery.)  There 
are  fifty  instances,  on  the  contrary,  in  which  they  have 
given  their  foes  a  rough  reception,  both  against  attacks 
by  land  and  by  sea.  Bunker's  hill  was  certainly  a 
victory,  while  the  means  of  resistance  lasted.  To  these 
may  be  added,  the  affairs  of  New-Orleans,  Fort 
Mifflin,  Fort  Moultrie,  Sandusky,  Red  Bank,  Tiger 
River,  Fort  Erie,  and  numberless  others. 

With  this  brief  review  of  their  military  character, 
which  does  not  stand  as  high  as  it  deserves,  merely 
because  there  has  been  a  sad  dearth  of  efficient  leaders, 
capable  of  conducting  operations  on  a  concerted  and 
extensive  scale,  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that 
the  Americans  are  not  in  much  danger  of  being  the 
victims  of  a  conquest.  They  turn  the  idea  themselves 
into  high  ridicule.  Some  of  them  go  so  far  as  to 
assert,  that  Europe,  united,  could  not  subdue  a  people 
so  remote,  so  free,  and  protected  by  so  many  natural 
advantages.  It  is  very  certain,  that  whatever  Europe 
might  do  now,  she  could  not  overturn  this  republic, 
if  it  shall  remain  united,  fifty  years  hence. 

The  Americans  seem  quite  determined  that  a  future 
war  shall  not  find  them  so  entirely  without  prepara- 
tion as  the  last.  In  the  great  concerns  of  the  day,  few 
of  us,  in  Europe,  had  time  or  incHnation  to  lend  our 
attention  to  the  details  of  that  war ;  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  actors,  and  perhaps  a  few  of  the  leading 
events,  little  is  known  of  it,  even  by  the  English  who 
were  parties  to  the  struggle.  As  I  intend  to  close 
this  chapter  with  a  brief  account  of  the  present  mili- 
tary system  of  the  United  States,  it  may  be  well  to 

Vol.  I.  X 


»i("'.4j1  i 


'r 


230 


ESTIMATE  OF  THE  FORCES  IN  1777. 


revert  to  the  means  they  employed  in  their  two  for- 
mer contests. 

The  insurrection  of  1775,  was  commenced  under 
every  miHtary  disadvantage.  It  is  a  well-known  fact 
that  Washington  kept  the  British  army  beleaguered  in 
Boston,  with  an  undisciplined  force  not  always  nu- 
merically superior,  and  which  was  for  a  long  period 
so  destitute  of  ammunition,  that  it  could  not  have 
maintained  a  sharp  conflict  of  half  an  hour.  Yet  the 
high  resolution  of  this  people  supported  them  in  the 
field,  not  as  an  enthusiastic  and  momentarily  excited 
mob,  but  as  grave  and  thoughtful  men,  intently  bent 
on  their  object,  and  who  knew  how  to  assume  such 
an  aspect  of  order  and  method,  in  the  midst  of  all 
their  wants,  as  should  and  did  impose  on  their  skilful 
and  brave  enemies.  Some  minute  calculations  may 
be  useful  in  furnishing  a  correct  opinion  of  that  con- 
test, and,  of  course,  in  enabling  us  to  judge  of  the  ef- 
fects which  intelligence  (the  distinctive  property  of 
the  American  community)  has  on  the  military  char- 
acter of  a  nation. 

In  the  year  1790,  there  were  in  the  United  States 
814,000  white  males  over  the  age  of  sixteen  (frac- 
tions are  excluded.)  It  is  known  that  the  population 
of  the  country  has  doubled  in  about  twenty-three 
years.  This  calculation  should  give  407,000  of  the 
saine  description  of  males,  in  the  year  1 767 ;  or  about 
600,000  in  the  year  1779,  which  was  the  epoch  when 
the  final  issue  of  the  revolution  might  be  said  to  have 
been  decided  by  the  capture  of  Burgoyne.  If  we 
deduct  for  age,  physical  disabilities,  religious  scruples, 
(as  among  the  Quakers,)  and  disaffection  to  the  cause, 
100,000,  a  number  probably  greatly  within  the  truth, 
we  shall  have  half  a  million  of  men  capable  of  bear- 
ing arms,  to  resist  the  power  of  Britain.  I  am  sen- 
sible that  this  enumeration  rather  exceeds  than  alls 
short  of  the  truth.     England  employed,  at  one  time, 


77. 

leir  two  for- 

inced  under 
-known  fact 
leaguered  in 
always  nu- 
long  period 
[d  not  have 
IF.  Yet  the 
them  in  the 
irily  excited 
atently  bent 
issume  such 
midst  of  all 
their  skilful 
ilations  may 
of  that  con- 
ye  of  the  ef- 
property  of 
ilvcary  char- 

nited  States 
ixteen  (frac- 
;  population 
wenty-three 
^000  of  the 
7 ;  or  about 
5poch  when 
said  to  have 
me.  If  we 
>us  scruples, 
o  the  cause, 
in  the  truth, 
ble  of  bear- 
I  am  sen- 
ds than  alls 
at  one  time, 


OUTLINE  or  THE  WAR  OF  1776. 


231 


not  less  than  fifty  thousand  soldiers  to  reduce  the  re- 
volted colonies,  and  she  was  in  possession  of  all  the 
strong  holds  of  the  country,  at  the  commencementof 
the  contest.     The  half  million,  badly  armed,  without 
supplies,  discipline,  money,  or  scarcely  any  other 
requisite  but  resolution,  were  scattered  over  a  wide 
surface,  a  fact  which,  though,  with  their  intelligence, 
and  determination,  it  was  favourable  to  their  success, 
without  it  would  have  assured  their  defeat  in  detail. 
The  formidable  army  of  their  enemies  was  sustained 
by  the  presence  of  powerful  fleets ;  was  led  by  expe- 
rienced generals,  and  always  fought  bravely,  and  with 
perfect  good  will.    Yet  what  was  it  able  to  perform? 
From  New-England,  the  only  portion  of  the  whole 
country  where  a  tolerably  dense  population  existed, 
a  great  force  was  e^r  r  expelled  in  disgrace.    A  few 
cities  on  the  sea-ccabi  were  held  by  strong  garrisons, 
which  rarely  ventured  out  with  success.     The  only 
great  expedition  attempted  in  the  north,  was  signally 
defeated.     In  the  middle  districts,  marches  of  ont   ^ 
two  hundred  miles  were  made,  it  is  true,  and  several 
battles  were  fought,  commonly  to  the  advantage  of 
discipline  and  numbers;  but  in  the  only  instance 
where  an  extended  chain  of  communication  was  at- 
tempted, it  was  destroyed  by  the  vigour  of  Washing- 
ton.    In  the  south,  a  scattered  population,  and  the 
presence  of  slaves,  allowed  a  temporary,  but  a  treach- 
erous success.     Reverses  soon  followed;   the  con- 
quered territory  was  regained,  and  triumph  ensued 
This  is  a  summary  of  the  outline  of  that  war.     If  to 
the  soldiers,  be  added  the  seamen  of  the  fleet,  a 
species  of  force  nearly,  or  quite,  as  useful  in  such  a 
war  as  the  troops,  there  could  scarcely  be  less  than 
80,000  men  employed  in  endeavouring  to  reduce  the 
malcontents.     When  the  magnitude  of  the  stake,  and 
tae  poxver  oi  jjritain,  be  considered,  this  number  will 
scarcely  appear  suiiicient.      Here,  then,  admitting 
tliese  estimates  to  be  just,  you  have  a  regular,  com- 


'Pli4' 


232 


BAD  POLICY  PURSUED  IN  1612. 


bined  and  dfsciplined  force  of  80,000  men,  aided  by 
large  bodies  of  the  disaffected  to  the  American  cause, 
contending  against  an  unprovided,  scattered,  popula- 
tion of  half  a  {pillion  of  males,  who  had  to  resist,  to 
till  their  land,  avid  to  discharge  all  the  customary  obli- 
gations of  society.  The  aid  of  the  French  was  cer- 
tainly of  great  use  to  shorten  the  conflict ;  but  the 
men  who  had  gone  through  the  dark  period  of  1776, 
*77,  and  '78,  and  who  had  cleared  the  southern  and 
eastern  States,  by  their  own  exertions,  were  not  likely 
to  submit  to  a  power  they  had  so  often  baflfled. 

In  the  war  of  1812,  the  country  was  much  better 
provided,  though  still  miserably  defective  in  military 
preparation,  and  in  scientific  knowledge.    The  whole 
population  was  about  8,000,000,  and,  though  joined 
as  one  man  oa  the  subject  of  independence,  and  the 
maintenance  of  territory,  nearly  equally  divided  on 
the  question  of  the  policy  of  the  war.    A  capital 
blunder  was  committed  at  the  very  commencement 
of  the  struggle.   Instead  of  placing  young  and  talented 
men  at  the  head  of  the  armies,  officers  of  the  revolu- 
tion were  sought  for  to  fill  those  situations.     The 
Greenes,  the  Waynes,  the  Lincolns,  Knoxes,  &c,  of 
that  war  had  followed,  or  preceded,  their  great  chief 
to  the  tomb,  and  few  or  none  were  left,  of  sufficient 
distinction,  to  yield  a  pledge  for  their  future  useful- 
ness.    The  very  fact  that  a  man  had  served  in  a 
revolution  without  iclat,  should  have  been  prima 
facie  evidence  of  his  incapacity.     Still,  ancient  offi 
cers,  who  had  commanded  regiments,  or  battalions, 
in  the  war  of  1770,  were  thought  preferable  to  those 
who  had  acquired  their  information  in  studying  the 
more  modern  tactics.     The  result  proved  as  might 
be  expected.     Not  a  single  officer  of  the  old  school 
(one  excepted)  did  any  thing  to  justify  his  appoint- 
ment, while  several  of  them  inflicted  heavy  disgraces 
on  the  arms  of  the  country.  The  exception  was^Gen- 
firal  Jackson,  who  was  far  too  young  to  have  arrived 


OUTLINE  6P  THE  WAR  01"  1812.       533 

at  embence  in  the  revolution,  and  who  gained  his 
renown  by  departing  from  the  Fabian  policy  of  that 
struggle,  instead  of  pursuing  it. 

The  last  war  commenced  in  the  middle  of  1813, 
and  terminated  at  the  commencement  of  1 8 1 5.   With 
the  usual  exceptions  of  personal  enterprise  and  cour- 
age,  the*  two  first  campaigns  were  disgraceful,  expen- 
sive, and  unmilitary.    But  time  was  already  beginning 
to  correct  the  blunders  of  a  fatal  prejudice,  or  rather 
fatal  partiality.    Men  of  character  and  talents  forced 
themselves  into  notice ;  and  although  there  existed, 
in  the  conceptions  of  the  manner  in  which  the  war 
was  to  be  conducted,  a  most  lamentable  impotency 
m  the  cabinet,  the  campaign  of  1814  was  brilliant  in 
achievement.     With  the  sohtary  exception  of  a  rapid 
expedition   to  Washington,   through   a  barren   and 
nearly  uninhabited  country,  the  English  were  not 
successful  in  a  single  attempt  of  any  importance. 
Four  bloody  affairs  were  fought  on  the  Niagara,  to 
the  advantage  of  the  Americans;  formidable  inva- 
sions on  the  north  and  on  the  south  were  successfully, 
and,  in  one  instance,  brilliantly  repelled ;  and,  in  fine] 
the  troops  of  the  confederation,  better  drilled,  and 
better  led,  began  to  exhibit  some  of  the  finest  qualities 
of  first-rate  soldiers.    Inhere  is  no  doubt  that  England 
nobly  maintained  her  colonies,  which,  of  necessity, 
became  the  disputed  point  in  such  a  war ;  but  it  is 
just  as  true,  that  so  soon  as,  encouraged  by  finding 
herself  unexpectedly  released  from  her  great  Euro- 
pean struggle,  she  attempted  conquest  in  her  turn, 
she  was  quite  as  signally  foiled. 

Another  quarter  of  a  century  may  be  necessary  to 
raise  the  United  States  to  the  importance  of  a  first- 
rate  power,  in  the  European  sense.  At  the  end  of 
that  time,  their  population  will  be  about  25,000,000, 
.  „.^^     ii  „^^  -uOii-jJtix-i,  av.v.uiuiiig  lu  our  laeas, 

will  be  suihciently  available  for  all  military  purposes, 
by  means  of  the  extraordinary  facilities  of  intercom- 

X2 


SS4 


MILITARY  POWER  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


muDication  that  already  exist,  and  are  hourly  increaS' 
ihg  in  the  country,  i  think,  before  that  period  ar- 
rives, the  republic  will  be  felt  as  a  military  (or,  more 
properly,  a  naval)  power,  in  the  affairs  of  Christen- 
dom. What  she  will  become  before  the  end  of  the 
century,  must  depend  more  on  herself  than  on  any 
thing  the  rest  of  the  world  can  do  to  forward,  or  to 
retard,  the  result. 

The  present  military  condition  of  the  United  States, 
though  far  from  imposing,  is  altogether  more  respect- 
able than  it  has  ever  before  been.  One  who  is  ac- 
customed to  see  kings  manoeuvre  large  bodies  of 
household  troops  as  their  ordinary  playthings,  might 
smile  to  be  told  that  the  whole  army  of  this  great 
republic  contains  but  6,000  men.  The  Bourbons 
seldom  lie  down,  dear  Count,  without  as  strong  a 
force  to  watch  their  slumbers.  But  he  who  estimates 
the  power  of  this  people  to  injure,  or  to  resist,  by  the 
number  of  its  regular  troops,  makes  a  miserable  blun- 
der. The  habit  of  discipline  and  the  knowledge  of 
military  details  are  kept  alive  by  the  practice  of  this 
small  force.  They  are  chiefly  employed  on  the  west- 
ern frontier,  or  they  garrison,  by  companies,  the  posts 
on  the  seaboard.     They  answer  all  the  objects  of 

f)reserving  order  on  the  one,  and  of  guarding  the  pub- 
ic property  in  the  other.  But  the  vast  improvement 
of  the  country  is  in  the  progress,  and  in  the  gradual 
diffusion  of  professional  knowledge.  All  the  subor- 
dinate ranks  in  this  little  army  are  filled  by  young 
men,  who  have  received  rigid  military  educations, 
tempered  by  a  morality,  and  a  deference  to  the  insti- 
tutions of  the  land,  that  are  elsewhere  little  cultivated, 
and  which  tend  to  elevate  the  profession,  by  render- 
ing a  soldier  strictly  the  support,  and  not  tlie  master 
of  the  community. 

It  is  not  orobable  that  the  iealousv  of  the  Ameri- 
cans will  ever  admit  of  the  employment  of  a  very 
lai^e  regular  force  in  time  of  peace.     They  prefer 


ElY. 

irly  increas- 
period  ar- 
y  (or,  more 
of  christen- 
end  of  the 
lan  on  any 
ivard,  or  to 

lited  States, 
)re  respect- 
who  is  ac- 

bodies  of 
lings,  might 
f  this  great 
s  Bourbons 
as  strong  a 
10  estimates 
3sist,  by  the 
jrable  blun- 
owledge  of 
;tice  of  this 
)n  the  west- 
?s,  the  posts 

objects  of 
ng  the  pub- 
iprovement 
the  gradual 

the  subor- 
i  by  young 
educations, 
to  the  insti- 
i  cultivated, 

by  render- 

tlie  master 

the  Ameri- 
t  of  a  very 
'hey  prefer 


INrLUENCE  C»r  GENERAL  INTELLIGENCE.        235 

trusting  to  the  care  of  armed  citizens.     Though  the 
militia  never  can  l>e,  compared  with  its  numbers,  as 
formidable  as  disciplined  troops,  it  is  certainly  suffi- 
cient to  maintain  order,  and  to  resist  invasion.   With 
respect  to  the  two  latter  objects,  you  may  possibly 
believe  that  America  is  peculiarly  favoured  by  her 
geographical  situation.    It  is  scarcely  fair  for  govern- 
ments to  refuse  to  give  a  population  the  necessary 
degree  of  intelligence,  and  then  to  say  it  will  be  dan- 
gerous to  entrust  them  with  arms.     We  know  that  a 
child  may  do  mischief  with  a  weapon,  but  we  also 
know  that  Nature  has  decreed  that  the  time  shall  come 
when  it  may  be  made  highly  useful  to  him.     For 
my  part,  I  firmly  believe,  that  if  Europe  would  put 
the  school-book  into  one  hand,  the  other  might  be 
safely  trusted  with  the  musket     It  is  commonly  the 
interest  o^  the  vast  majority  in  every  nation  to  pre- 
serve order ;  and  they  will  certainly  do  it  best,  ifthe- 
means  are  freely  furnished.     When  the  interests  of 
the  majority  are  in  favour  of  a  change,  there  is  some- 
thing very  like  true  wisdom  and  justice  in  permitting 
it.    Fancy,  for  a  moment,  twelve  or  fifteen  millions, 
resembling  the  population  of  New-England,  in  posses- 
sion of  a  sufficient  territory  in  the  heart  of  Europe, 
every  man  with  a  musket,  a  reasonable  supply  of 
military  munitions  in  readiness,  and  a  moderate,  dis- 
ciplined force  to  furnish  the  nucleus  of  a  regular  army. 
What  nation  could  hope  to  invade  them  with  success  ? 
It  is  very  true  that  the  King  of  Prussia,  now,  is  proba- 
bly more  dangerous  to  his  neighbours  than  he  would  be 
at  the  head  of  such  a  nation ;  but  a  good  deal  of  the  truth 
of  all  these  questions  lies  in  the  fact,  whether  a  nation 
is  any  the  better  for  being  externally  so  very  formi- 
dable. Three  or  four  communities,  intelligent,  content 
with  their  condition,  and  intrusted  with  arms,  like 
the  Americans,  nroperlv  dispersed  over  the  surface 
of  Europe,  would  be  sufficient  to  insure  the  tranquil- 
lity of  one  quarter  of  the  globe  of  themselves     It  is 


336 


THE  BALANCE  or  POWER, 


11  . 


h:t  '• , 


h^ 


odd  enough  that  the  world  should  have  been  con- 
tending 8o  long  about  the  'jalance  of  power,  without 
hitting  on  the  cheape?!  mode  of  effecting  it.  Ink 
costs  far  less  than  gunpowder;  and  no  reasonable 
man  can  doubt  tl^at,  if  properly  expended,  it  would 
go  farther,  in  oue  generation,  to  establish  the  natural 
and  useful  boundaries  of  nations,  than  rivers  of  blood. 
It  is  not  a  century  since  the  fate  of  the  British  empire 
was  decided  by  less  than  twenty  thousand  soldiers. 
It  became  Protestant,  when  it  might  have  been  Cath- 
olic. Here  was  a  balance  of  power,  uO  far  as  Eng- 
land and  her  dependencies  were  concerned,  settled 
by  a  handful!  of  men.  It  would  require  Europe 
united  to  do  the  same  thing  over  again,  and  all  be- 
cause new  generations  have  acquired  more  liberal 
ideas  of  their  natural  rights.  And  yet  England  is  far, 
in  this  particular,  very  far,  from  what  she  might  be. 
Even  this  country  has  still  a  great  deal  to  do  in  ad- 
vancing the  mighty  work  of  education. 
-  We  have  an  obstinate  habit  of  insisting  that,  though 
America  is  prospering  with  all  her  freedom  and 
economy,  her  system  would  be  fatal  to  any  European 
nation.  I  once  ventured  to  assert  this  position  to  my 
travelling  friend,  who  met  my  opinion  by  bluntly  ask- 
ing— ''•How  do  you  know  it?  In  what  age,  or  in 
what  country,  did  you  ever  try  the  experiment  ?  I 
grant  that  certain  desperate  political  adventures  have 
been  attempted,  in  which  a  few  good  men  have  joined 
a  great  many  bad  ones,  in  overturning  governments, 
and  that  the  niockery  of  liberty  has  been  assumed  by 
the  latter,  until  it  suited  their  convenience  to  throw 
aside  the  mask,  and  then  tyranny  has  succeeded 
to  the  temporary  deception,  as  a  perfect  matter  of 
course.  But  so  far  as  the  experience  of  Europe  goes, 
and  considering  the  question  altogether  in  a  military 
point  of  view,  1  think  it  will  be  found  that  the  freest 
nations  have,  cccteris  paribus^  always  been  found  the 
most  difficult  to  conquer,     I  might  quote  Scotland, 


5  been  con- 
ifer, without 
ing  it.     Ink 

reasonable 
ed,  it  would 

the  natural 
srs  of  blood, 
itish  empire 
nd  soldiers. 
;  been  Cath- 

far  as  Eng- 
ned,  settled 
ire  Europe 
and  all  be- 
nore  liberal 
gland  is  far, 
»e  might  be. 
to  do  in  ad- 

that,  though 
eedom  and 
y  European 
sition  to  my 
bluntly  ask- 
age,  or  in 
;riment?  I 
ntures  have 
have  joined 
Dvernments, 
assumed  by 
ce  to  throw 
;  succeeded 
;t  matter  of 
lurope  goes, 
n  a  military 
it  the  freest 
n  found  the 
te  Scotland, 


FREE  PEOPLE  MOST  DIFFICULT  TO  CONQUER.     237 

Holland,  and  Switzerland,  in  favour  of  this  theory. 
You  will  say,  perhaps,  that  the  first  and  the  last  were 
more  indebted  for  their  independence  to  their  peculiar 
condition  and  poverty  than  to  any  actual  political 
institutions,  more  particularly  the  former.     Granted. 
And  yet  you  find  that  it  is  only  necessary  to  make  a 
man  feel  a  direct  interest  in  preserving  his  actual 
condition  to  make  him  resolute  in  defending  it   One 
would  think  there  was  far  less  to  fight  for  in  the  hills 
of  Scotland,  than  in  the  plains  of  Italy ;  and  yet  Italy 
has  been  overrun  a  hundred  times  by  invaders,  and 
Scotland  never.    But  you  think  the  hills  and  the  fast- 
nesses composed  the  strength  of  Scotland  and  Wales. 
No  doubt  they  added;  but  will  any  man  accuse  the 
Netherlands,  particularly  Holland,  of  being  a  moun- 
tainous  country?    Do  you  think  Napoleon  would 
have  ventured  to  march  his  vast  army  into  a  country 
so  remote  from  France  as  Russia,  had  the  latter  been 
peopled  with  20,000,000  of  Americans,  and  had  even 
the  climate  been  as  temperate  as  that  of  Paris?  What 
were  the  facts  in  similar  invasions,  though  certainly 
on  a  greatly  lessened  scale  ?  Ten  or  twelve  thousand 
yeomen,  intermingled  with  a  few  regular  troops,  who 
were  animated  by  the  same  spirit,  intercepted  and 
destroyed  Burgoyne,  at  the  head  of  ten  thousand 
regulars,  who  were  quite  as  good  troops  as  any  in 
the  imperial  guard.     Prevost,  at  the  head  of  an  ad- 
mirable force  of  many  thousand  men,  who  had  been 
fighting  the  best  battles  of  Europe,  was  checked  by 
a  handfull  of  countrymen,  and  would  have  shared  the 
fate  of  Burgoyne  near  the  same  spot,  had  he  not  been 
timely  admonished  to  make  a  disgraceful  retreat,  by 
the  fortune  of  his  predecessor.     Jackson,  with  some 
live  or  six  thousand  Tennesseans,  Kentuckians,  and 
Louisianians,  did  not  even  permit  his  enemy  to  involve 
himself  in  the  difficnltlps  nf  p  HJsffinf  r^froof      Tu^ 
situation  of  a  wealthy  city  required  that  the  spirit  of 
these  freemen  should  be  shown  in  its  front;  and  well 


S38 


phesent  military  resources. 


i  i 


^'  ill 

'  \   j 

'4 '  .  -If' 


^Pl^^^^ii 


t-il 


s.,. 


did  they  make  it  known.  A  similar  fate  would  have 
attended  the  excursion  to  Washington,  had  time  been 
given  for  arrangement,  and  the  collection  of  a  force 
sufficient  for  the  object.  But  the  experience  of  even 
the  most  despotic  governments  goes  to  show  how 
much  more  formidable  they  become,  when  each 
man  is  made  to  believe  it  is  his  interest  to  resist  ag 
gression." 

But  the  Americans  appear  sensible,  that  while  the 
irresistible  force  of  every  nation  exists  in  giving  all 
of  its  citizens  the  deepest  possible  interest  in  its 
welfare,  they  do  not  neglect  such  rational  means  of 
rendering  their  numbers  as  eflfective  as  may  be,  with- 
out rendering  the  system  of  defence  unnecessarily 
burthensome.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  that  in  this 
respect  at  least  the  republic  is  greatly  favoured  by 
its  geographical  position.  Renwved  from  all  the  or- 
dinary dangers  of  external  aggression,  the  country  is 
able  to  advance  in  its  career  of  improvement,  with 
the  freedom  of  a  child,  whose  limbs  are  permitted  to 
grow,  and  whose  chest  expands,  unshackled  by  the 
vicious  effects  of  swaddlings,  or  any  other  artificial 
corrective|s. 

Compared  with  its  state  in  1812,  the  present  mili- 
tary condition  of  the  United  States  presents  the  fol- 
lowing points  of  difference.  Instead  of  possessing  a 
few  indifferently  educated  graduates  of  an  infant  mili- 
tary school,  it  has  now  hundreds,  who  have  long  en- 
joyed the  advantages  of  far  higher  instruction.  The 
corps  of  engineei-s,  in  particular,  is  rapid'y  inproving, 
and  is  already  exceedingly  respectable.  A  system  of 
order  and  exactitude  has  been  introduced  into  the 
police  and  commissariat  of  the  army,  which  will 
serve  to  render  any  future  force  doubly  effective* 
and  which  may  be  readily  extended  to  meet  the  ex- 
igencies of  the  lareest  armies.  Formidable  fortresses 
have  been  erected,  or  are  in  progress  of  erection, 
which  will  give  security  to  most  of  the  coast,  aad 


s. 

would  have 
id  time  been 
>n  of  a  force 
ence  of  even 
)  show  how 

when  each 
L  to  resist  ag 

lat  while  the 
in  giving  all 
terest  in  its 
lal  means  of 
lay  be,  with- 
mnecessarily 
,  that  in  this 
favoured  by 
m  all  the  or- 
le  country  is 
^ement,  with 
permitted  to 
:kled  by  the 
her  artificial 

present  mili- 
ents  the  fol- 
posscssin^  a 
n  infant  mili- 
ave  long  en- 
ction.  The 
^y  inp  roving, 
A  system  of 
ced  into  the 
which  will 
ly  effective, 
fteet  the  ex- 
>le  fortresses 
of  erection, 
3  coast,  and 


SENSITIVENESS  OF  THE  POPULATION. 


339 


protection  to  the  commerce  of  the  country.  By  the 
aid  of  canals  and  great  roads,  armies  on  the  frontiers 
can  now  be  supplied  at  one  sixth  of  the  former  cost, 
and  in  half  the  time.  Arms,  artillery,  and  all  the 
munitions  of  war,  woollen  and  cotton  clothing,  in 
r.hort,  the  whole  materiel  of  an  army,  could  now 
bo  furnished  in  the  country  at  a  reasonable  cost; 
vyhereas,  as  late  as  1812,  the  Americans  were  so  en- 
tirely dependent  on  their  enemy  for  a  supply,  that 
regiments  were  absolutely  unable  to  marci.  for  want 
of  so  simple  an  article  as  blankets.  The  population 
has  advanced  from  8  to  12,000,000,  and  the  revenue 
in  even  a  greater  proportion.  The  debt  is  in  about 
the  same  ratio  to  the  inhabitants  as  before  the  war ; 
but  as  the  expenditures  are  not  increased  in  the  pro- 
portion of  the  revenue,  it  is  in  the  course  of  rapid 
extinguishment.  A  very  few  years  more  o(  peace 
will  effect  this  desirable  object* 

It  is  a  mistaken  idea  that  the  Americans  are  a  people 
so  much  engaged  in  comm'erce  as  to  be  indifferent 
to  the  nicer  points  of  national  honour  and  military 
renown.  It  is  far  more  true  to  describe  them  as  a 
people  who  have  hitherto  been  removed  from  the 
temptation  of  aggression,  and  in  whom  the  native 
principles  ofjustice  have,  in  consequence,  never  been 
weakened.  One  hears  a  grea^  deal  in  France,  among 
the  upper  classes,  of  the  French  honour,  and  in  Eng- 
land of  British  character,  &c.  &c. ;  but  neither  of  these 
nations  has  ever  manifested  one  half  the  jealous 
watchfulness  of  their  rights  as  these  simple  repub- 
licans. They  dared  the  war  of  their  independence 
in  the  maintenance  of  a  perfectly  abstract  principle, 
for  no  one  pretends  that  the  taxation  of  England  was 
oppressive  in  fact ;  and  at  this  hour,  it  becomes  very 
necessary  for  the  graver  heads  of  the  nation  to  temper 


*  nnu. 


uc  average  amount  of  customs  for  ten  years  before  the 
war,  a  little  exceeded  12,000,000  of  dollars  a  year;  it  may  now 
be  stated  ut  about  20,000,000. 


240 


TREfR  PRESENT  ATTITUDE. 


f  'I 


11 

iw™ 

the  public  mind,  at  the  smallest  rumour  of  any  assault 
on  their  dignity  or  national  character.  The  politicians 
are  moderate,  because  they  see  that  aggression  bears 
an  aspect  with  them  different  from  that  which  it 
assumes  tov/ards  other  people.  An  aggression  by 
England,  hr  instance,  on  America,  is  much  like  an 
insult  offered  by  a  man  to  a  boy.  The  latter  may 
bear  it,  because  he  can  say  to  himself,  the  other  will 
not  dare  to  repeat  it  next  ye?ir.  Thus  the  American 
politician  reasons,  or  rather  has  reasoned,  that  time  is 
all-important  to  them.  Nations  do  not  often  go  to  war 
for  indemnity,  but  to  maintain  established  rights  by 
showing  spirit  and  force,  or  for  conquest.  Conques't 
the  Americans  do  not  need,  and  there  is  no  fear  of 
injuries  growing  into  precedent  against  a  people  who 
are  rich,  out  of  debt,  free,  intelligent,  intrinsically 
brave,  however  prudent  they  may  be,  and  who  in 
fifty  years  will  number  50,000,000 !  I  think,  however, 
that  the  spirit  of  the  people  rather  runs  ahead  of  their 
actual  force,  than  otherwise.  Perhaps  their  revolu- 
tion was  twenty  years  too  soon ;  and  now,  though 
lovers  of  peace,  and  frequently  religiously  indisposed 
to  war,  it  is  quite  easy  to  see  that  they  chafe,  to  a 
man,  at  the  idea  of  any  invasion  on  what  they  deem 
their  natural  rights. 

It  may  serve  to  give  you  an  idea  of  the  different 
attitude  which  this  country  takes  in  1 825,  from  what 
it  maintained  in  1 81 2,  by  stating  two  facts.  It  is  well 
known  that  thousands  of  their  citizens  were  impressed, 
with  impunity,  into  the  British  navy  before  the  latter 
period.  There  was  a  false  rumour  the  other  day, 
that  a  similar  act  had  occurred  on  the  coast  of  Africa. 
I  heard  but  one  opinion  on  the  subject.  "  We  must 
have  explar^ation  and  justice  without  delay."  Cad- 
wallader  says,  that  he  can  hardly  imagine  a  case  in 
which  two  or  three  impressments  (unless  subject  to 
cieai-  explanations)  would  not  now  produce  a  war. 
The  rumour,  that  England  was  to  become  mistress 


AMERICA   A  PEACEFUL  COUNTRY. 


241 


of  Cuba,  has  also  been  circulated  during  my  visit 
I  have  sought  opportunities  to  demand  the  conse- 
quences. The  answer  has  been,  at  least  five  times  in 
SIX,  "  war." 

It  is  not  difficult  to  see,  that  the  day  is  at  hand 
when  this  republic  will  be  felt  in  the  great  general 
political  questions  of  Christendom.     It  may  then  be 

v^wr^!.!  ^"?^^"i*^  that  the  nighty  power  she 
will  shortly  wield,  is  not  to  be  exercised  to  satisfy  the 
ambition  of  individuals,  but  that  they  who  will  have 
to  bear  the  burthen  of  the  contests,  wf'  u.,  ;  have  a 
direct  influence  on  their  existence.  Nuaer  tl  >  insti- 
tutions, nor  the  necessities  of  America,  ,,re  o,  -inous 
of  a  thirst  for  conquest;  but,  with  her  vv^lv  spread 
commerce,  it  will  be  impossible  to  a vo.d  frequent 
and  keen  collisions  with  other  nations.  I  think  for 
a  long  time  to  come,  that  her  armies  will  be  chieflv 
conhned  to  the  defensive ;  but  another  and  a  very 
different  question  presents  itself,  when  we  turn  our 
attention  towards  her  fleets. 


TO  SIR  EDWARD  WALLER,  BART. 
&e.  &c. 


New-York, — . 

After  having  ascended  the  Hudson  as  far  as 
Albany  in  company  with  La  Fayette,  and  taken  our 
leave  of  the  veteran,  our  faces  were  turned  west.  At 
that  place  we  saw  a  few  remaining  evidences  of  the 
Dutch,  in  the  names  and  in  the  construction  of  a  good 
many  houses;  but  the  citv  /'mnfaininrr  qK^^.,*  iaru\n 
mhabitanls)  is  chiefly  modern.  Our  route,  for  sixty 
Tiiles,  was  along  one  of  the  great  thorouj 


Vol.  I 


^g' 


242 


DESCRIPTION  or  A  TOUR  WESTWARD. 


fares  oi'  the  interior,  when  we  inclined  to  the  south, 
and  haying  traversed  a  considerable  tract  of  country 
to  the  southward  of  the  beaten  track  of  travellers,  we 
entered  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  west  of  the  Sus- 
quehannah,  and  proceeded  to  Pittsburgh.  Thence 
we  descended  the  Alleghany  river  to  the  Ohio,  made 
a  wide  circuit  in  the  State  of  the  same  name,  and 
returned,  by  the  way  of  Lake  Erie,  to  Buffalo  (in 
New- York),  which  is  a  thriving  fresh-water  lake- 
port.  We  spent,  of  course,  a  few  days  examining  the 
mighty  cataract  of  Niagara,  and  in  visiting  the  shores 
of  Lake  Ontario.  On  our  return  east,  we  followed 
the  line  of  the  great  canal  as  far  as  Utica,  where  we 
made  a  diversion  towards  the  north,  for  a  couple  of 
hundred  miles,  in  order  to  permit  Cadwallader  to 
visit  an  estate  of  which  he  is  proprietor.  This  duty 
performed,  we  made  our  way  along  the  skirts  of  a 
wild  and  nearly  uninhabited  region,  to  the  famous 
watering  places  at  Saratoga  and  Ballstown  ;  passed 
the  Hudson  at  Troy,  and  crossing  a  spur  of  the  Green 
Mountains,  penetrated  Massachusetts  by  its  western 
border ;  traversed  a  small  portion  of  Connecticut  in 
a  new  direction  ;  re-entered  New- York  above  the 
Highlands,  through  which  we  journeyed  by  land,  and 
regained  this  city,  after  an  absence  of  about  six  weeks. 
We  must  have  travelled,  by  land  and  water,  between 
twelve  and  fifteen  hundred  miles. 

The  three  States  named,  are  cimputed  to  cover  a 
surface  of  about  131,000  square  miles  ;  being  a  little 
larger  than  the  two  islands  of  Great  Britain  aind  Ireland 
united.  Their  population,  at  the  present  time,  must 
be  something  short  of  four  millions.*     If  we  fix  it  at 


*  In  1820,  the  population  of  these  three  States,  by  the  general 
cer.su8,  was  3,003,614.  But  State  censuses  have  since  been 
taken  in  several  of  the  States.     The  Government  of  the  United 

" "  •-«fi.r?'u<3  II  v^iioUcj  iv  trc  tan. .. :  ujjuc  ill  icii  j^cars,  t;UIIIIIIUUCIIIg' 

with  the  year  1790.     By  this  estimate  the  Representatives  for 
Congrees  are  apportioned.     When  the  States  cause  the  inter- 


NOTE  OF  THE  POPULATION  IN  THREE  STATES.   243 

3,800,000,  which  is  probably  near  the  truth,  it  will 
leave  rather  more  than  twenty  souls  to  the  square 
mile.     1  his  IS  perhaps  a  little  short  of  the  rate  of  the 
population  of  Russia  in  Europe,  and  more  than  one 
half  greater  than  that  of  the  kingdom  of  Sweden 
exG  usive  of  Norway.    But  the  same  remark  is  appli- 
cable to  those  States,  as  that  which  has  already  been 
made  of  New-England.     There  is  a  vast  district  in 
the  northern  portion  of  New- York,  which  is  not,  nor 
probably  will  not,  for  ages,  be  inhabited,  except  by  a 
few  hunters  and  lumber-men.*   It  must,  however,  be 
remembered,  that  these  States  possess  two  second- 
rate  towns— New- York  and  Philadelphia :  the  former 
or  which  contains  200,000,  and  the  latter  150,000 
inhabitants,!  Those  portions  of  New- York  and  Penn- 
sylvania which  lie  in   their  eastern  sections,  have 
an  air  of  populousness  about  equal  to  that  already 
described  as  belonging  to  New-England.     The  same 
appearances  are  preserved  by  travelling  on  many  of 
the  great  routes  to  the  interior,  and  there  are  num- 
berless counties,  especially  in  New- York,  extending 
from  its  centre  very  nearly  to  its  western  borden 
which  not  only  appear,  but  which  in  truth  are  more 
populous  than  many  of  the  older  districts.     After 
having  left  the  Hudson  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles,  the 
most  material  points  of  difference  between  the  exter- 
nal aspect  of  New-England  and  of  these  States,  are  in 
the  newness  and  freshness  of  the  buildings,  orchards, 
&c.  &c.,  and  in  the  greater  recurrence  of  forest,  or 

mediate  census  to  be  takea,  it  ia  to  answer  the  objects  of  their 
internal  policy.  The  representatives  for  the  State  legislative 
IflfJ'^  ^'^1'^^^%^^\^red  to  meet  the  results.  The  census 
f«i«Z.^T  ^ew-York  1,372,812  inhabitants  ;  that  of  1825, 
J,bl6,000 ;  the  increase  has  been  greatest, however,  in  the  newer 
btate  pf  Ohio,  which  has  nearly  doubled  its  population  in  the 
lew  intervening  years. 

...  ,r..v.  xc«  LUC  irucs,  ana  convert  them  into  the  various 
objects  of  use,  such  as  staves,  shingles,  &e. 

nam  e    »«" 


244    HABITS  OF  SETTLERS EUROPEAN  BLUNDERS. 

of  comparatively  half-formed  establishments,  in  the 
latter  than  in  the  former.- 

You  will  always  remember  that  the  American,  in 
seeking  a  spot  for  his  establishment,  has  great  scope 
for  his  election ;  and  that,  in  consequence,  he  invari- 
ably seeks  the  more  fertile  lands,  or  such  spots  as 
afford  desirable  facilities  for  commerce  or  manufac- 
tures. Thus,  valleys  are  occupied  in  succession  fre- 
quently for  a  hundred  miles,  while  the  crests  of  the 
mountains  are  left  in  the  forest ;  the  fields  of  the  hus- 
bandman gradually  climbing  their  sides,  as  his  grow- 
ing riches  or  greater  necessities  shall  tempt  him  to 
apply  the  axe.  Some  of  the  best  of  the  land,  and 
many  of  the  best  agriculturists,  however,  are  often 
found  on  the  summits  of  hills  of  a  few  hundred  (eet 
in  elevation.  I  think  it  is  rather  a  peculiarity  in 
American  scenery,  that  the  mountains  are,  in  com- 
mon, less  abrupt,  and  more  easily  to  be  tilled,  than 
with  us.  This  is  a  circumstance  which  adds  to  their 
usefulness  what  it  subtracts  from  their  beauty.  But 
where  such  a  variety  of  natural  formation,  no  less 
than  of  artificial  improvement,  exists  in  a  country,  it 
is  not  easy  to  convey  very  accurate  ideas  of  its  ap- 
pearance, in  a  few  words.  The  exceptions  are  so 
numerous  as  to  confound  the  images.  You  will  know 
how  to  make  the  proper  allowances  for  my  imper- 
fect descriptions,  and  I  shall  therefore  pursue  them, 
in  the  confidence  that  I  am  addressing  a  man  who 
will  not  beUeve  that  a  bear  is  to  be  seen  in  a  dwell- 
ing, because  he  was  told  one  was  met  in  a  forest  at 
no  great  distance  from  the  place  where  it  stands. 
This  confusion  of  ideas  is  the  blunder  of  Europeans, 
in  picturing  their  images  of  American  scenery  as  well 
as  of  republican  manners.  They  hear  of  churches, 
academies,  wild  beasts,  savages,  beautiful  women, 
steam-boats,  and  ships  :  and,  by  means  of  a  verv  su- 
perficial process,  I  am  satisfied  that  nine  in  ten 'con- 
tract opinions  which  bring  wolf»  beauty,  churches* 


NDERS. 

iiits,  in  the 

nerican,  in 
;reat  scope 
,  he  invari- 
:h  spots  as 
r  manufac- 
;ession  fre- 
ests  of  the 
of  the  hus- 
s  his  grow- 
npt  him  to 

land,  and 
,  are  often 
ndj-ed  (eet 
uHarity  in 
re,  in  conn- 
tilled,  than 
ids  to  their 
luty.  But 
►n,  no  less 
country,  it 
I  of  its  ap- 
ons  are  eo 

will  know 
my  imper- 
rsue  them, 

man  who 

in  a  dwell- 

a  forest  at 

it  stands. 
5]uropeans, 
ery  as  well 
*  churches, 
j1  women, 
'  a  very  su- 
in  ten  coii- 

churchesj 


RAVAGfeS   UNKNOWN  IN  THE  OLDER  PARTS.      245 

and  Aix^y-gun  frigates  in  strange  and  fantastic  collision. 
Now,  when  one  is  in  a  thriving  settlement,  or  suc- 
cession of  settlements,  in  what  is  called  the  new 
country,  (and  they  are  seen  by  thousands  every 
where),  the  only  difference  between  the  aspect  of 
thmgs  here  and  in  Europe,  is  in  the  freshness  of  ob- 
jects, the  absence  of  ancient  monuments,  the  ordinary 
national  differences  in  usages  and  arrangement,  an 
air  of  hfe  and  business,  always  in  favour  of  America, 
and  a  few  peculiarities  which  blend  the  conveniences 
of  civilized  life  with  the  remains  of  the  wilderness, 
m  a  manner  that  I  shall  shortly  attempt  to  describe. 
Once  for  all,  dear  Wailer,  I  wish  you  to  understand 
that— a  few  peaceable  and  half-civilized  remains  of 
tribes,  that  have  been  permitted  to  reclaim  small 
portions  of  land,  excepted— an  inhabitant  of  New- 
York  is  actually  as  far  removed  from  a  savage  as  an 
inhabitant  of  London,     The  former  has  to  traverse 
many  hundred  leagues  of  territory  to  enjoy  even  the 
sight  of  an  Indian,  in  a  tolerably  wild  condition  ;  and 
the  latter  may  obtain  a  similar  gratification  at  about 
the  same  expense  of  time  and  distance,  by  crossing 
the  ocean  to  Labrador.     A  few  degraded  descend-' 
ants  of  the  ancient  warlike  possessors  of  this  country 
are  indeed  seen  wandering  among  the  settlements, 
but  the  Indian  must  now  be  chiefly  sought  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  to  be  found  in  any  of  his  savage 
grandeur. 

Cases  do  occur,  beyond  a  doubt,  in  which  luckless 
individuals  are  induced  to  make  their  settlement  in 
some  unpropitious  spot  where  the  current  of  emigra- 
tion obstinately  refuses  to  run.  These  subjects  of  an 
unfortunate  speculation  are  left  to  struggle  for  years 
in  a  condition  between  rude  civihzation,  and  one  ap- 
proaching to  that  of  the  hunter,  or  to  abandon  their 
possessions,  and  to  seek  a  happier  section  of  the 
country.  Nine  times  in  ten,  \he  latter  course  is 
adopted.     But  when  this  tide  of  emigration  has  set 

Y2 


246 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  A  SETTLEMENT, 


i  •  m 


ft*il- 


steadily  towards  any  favoured  point  for  a  reasonable 
time,  it  is  absurd  to  seek  for  any  vestige  of  a  barba- 
rous life  among  the  people.  The  emigrants  carry 
with  them  (I  now  speak  of  those  parts  of  the  country 
I  have  seen)  the  wants,  the  habits,  and  the  institu- 
tions, of  an  advanced  state  of  society.  The  shop  of 
the  artisan  is  reared  simultaneously  with  the  rude 
dwelling  of  the  farmer.  The  trunks  of  trees,  piled 
on  each  other,  serve  for  both  for  a  few  years,  and 
then  succeed  dwellings  of  wood,  in  a  taste,  magnitude, 
and  comfort,  that  are  utterly  unknown  to  men  of 
similar  means  in  any  other  quarter  of  the  world, 
which  it  has  yet  been  my  lot  to  visit.  The  little 
school-house  is  shortly  erected  at  some  convenient 
point,  and  a  tavern,  a  store,  (the  American  term  for 
a  shop  of  all  sales,)  with  a  few  tenements  occupied 
by  mechanics,  soon  indicate  the  spot  for  a  church, 
and  the  site  of  the  future  village.  From  fifty  or  a 
hundred  of  these  centres  of  exertion,  spread  swarms 
that  in  a  few  years  shall  convert  mazes  of  dark  forests 
into  populous,  wealthy,  and  industrious  counties. 
The  manufactures  of  Europe,  of  the  Indies,  and  of 
China,  are  seen  exposed  for  sale,  by  the  side  of  the 
coarse  products  of  the  country;  and  the  same  indi- 
vidual who  vends  the  axe  to  fell  the  adjoining  forest, 
can  lay  before  your  eyes  a  very  tolerable  specimen 
of  Lyons  silk,  of  English  broadcloth,  of  Nankins,  of 
teas,  of  coffees,  or  indeed  of  mo&t  of  the  more  common 
luxuries  of  life.  Tlie  number  and  quality  of  the  lat- 
ter increase  with  the  growth  of  the  establishment ; 
and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  an  American  vil- 
lage store,  in  a  thriving  part  of  the  country,  where 
the  settlements  are  of  twenty  years'  standing,  can 
commonly  supply  as  good  an  assortment  of  the  manu- 
factures of  Europe,  as  a  collection  of  shops  in  any 
European  country  town ;  and,  if  the  general  nature  of 
their  stock  be  considered,  embracing,  as  it  does,  some 
of  the  products  of  all  countries,  one  much  greater. 


t>tS APPEARANCE  OK  THE  WILD  BEASTS.         24? 

As  to  wild  beasts,  savages,  Sic.  &c.  &c.,  they  have 
no  existence  m  these  regions.  A  solitary  bear,  or 
panther,  or  even  a  wolf,  wandering  near  the  flocks 

%  '"'"'^^^^y  ^"^^"^^  y^^^^  ^^^'  *^as  an  effect  hke  tliat 
produced  by  an  invasion.  In  the  earlier  days  of  the 
settlement,  it  is  a  task  to  chase  the  ravenous  beasts 
roni  the  neighbourhood.  A  price  is  offered  for  their 
Heads,  and  for  a  time  a  mutual  destruction  against 
the  flocks  on  one  side,  and  the  beasts  on  the  oSen  is 
the  consequence.  In  a  year  or  two,  this  task  is  re- 
duced to  an  occasional  duty.  In  a  few  more,  it  is 
sought  as  an  amusement :  and  ere  the  twenty  years 
expire,  the  appearance  of  a  wolf  among  the  Ameri- 
can  larms  is  far  less  common  than  on  the  most  ancient 
plains  of  certain  parts  of  France.  Every  man  has 
his  rifle  or  his  musket ;  and  every  man  not  only 
knows  how,  but  he  is  fond  of  using  them  against  such 

•!:  /ri^'vr''.  '^^'  ^^^"S^  ^^Id  beasts  may  be  per- 
mitted, like  Raphael's  Seraphim,  to  encircle  your  pic- 
tures of  American  manners  in  faint  rehef,  they  must 
rarely  indeed  be  permitted  to  enter  into  the  action 
ot  the  piece ;  more  especially  if  the  scene  be  laid  in 
any  of  the  settled  portions  of  the  three  States  that 
form  the  subject  of  this  letter. 

We  made  part  of  this  excursion  in  the  pubhc 
stages,  part  with  hired  horses,  and  part  in  steam- 
boats. It  IS  impossible  to  enter  on  a  description  of 
the  surface  of  the  country  we  saw,  for  it  included 
mountains,  valleys,  and  vast  plains,  intermingled  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  render  the  task  wearisome.  We 
had  gone  about  fifty  miles  west  of  Albany,  when  my 
companion  desired  the  vehicle  to  stop,  and  invited 
me  to  mount  a  gentle  ascent  on  fooi.  On  reaching 
the  summit,  he  turned  and  pointed  to  a  view  which 
resembled  none  I  had  ever  before  witnessed. 

We  were  travelling  along  the  termination  of  a 
r^ge  of  mountains,  wliich,  mnning  north  and"  south" 
leil  gracefully  away,  in  the  former  direction,  into 


348 


Al-j  AMERICAN  tNLAMtl  VlfiW. 


'\i 


what  is  called  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  before  they 
gradually  rose  again  on  the  other  side  of  that  river. 
The  descent  and  the  ascent  were  very  similar,  the 
intervening  country  lyiiig  in  broken  and  irregulir  ter 
races,  which  often  had  the  apj3earance  of  fertile  val- 
leys, before  the  rich  bottoms  of  the  river  are  gained. 
Our  precise  position  was  on  tl :e  very  brow  of  one 
of  the  most  projecting  spurs  of  this  broken  range, 
and  it  admitted  of  an  uninterrupted  prospect  to  the 
north-east,  and  to  the  north-west,  of  the  falling  coun- 
try in  i-'Ur  front,  vri'  of  the  rising  hills  opposite,  that 
could  not  have  bo  .i}  contained  in  a  circumference  of 
much  less  than  two  fju;  idred  miles.  The  view  was 
limited  to  what  lay  1 1  v  ivame  of  a  line  drawn  nearly 
east  and  west,  the  xdjacent  oiountains  presenting  ob- 
stacles to  our  vision,  tarther  south.  It  was  completely 
an  American  scene,  embracing  all  that  admixture  o^ 
civilization,  and  of  the  forest,  of  the  works  of  man, 
and  of  the  reign  of  nature,  that  one  can  so  easily 
itjiagine  to  belong  to  this  country. 

There  was  perhaps  an  equal  distribution  of  field 
and  f«)rest.  The  latter  term  is  not,  however,  the  best, 
since  it  was  a  constant  succession  of  open  land  and 
of  wood,  in  proportions  which,  without  being  exactly, 
were  surprisingly  equal.     You  have  stood  upon  a 
height,  and  looked  down  upon  a  fertile  French  plain, 
over  wb'ch  agriculture  has  been  conducted  on  a  scale 
a  little  larger  than  common.  You  may  remember  the 
divisions  formed  hy  the  hues  of  the  grains  of  the 
vineyards,  and  of  the  grasses,  which  give  to  the  whole 
an  air  so  chequered  and  remarkable.     Now,  by  ex- 
tending the  view  to  the  size  I  have  named,  and  en- 
larging  these  chequered  spots   to  a  correspondii  p 
scale,  you  get  a  tolerably  accurate  idea  of  wha'   t 
would  describe.     The  c  rk  green  shadows  ar«  f^o- 
duced  'jy  the  foliage  of  a  wood,  reserved,  pt  :aps, 
for  the  use  of  half  a  dozen  farms,  and  lying  in  a  hoaj. 
(some  common  objection  to  culture  influencing  tii?;  i 


t)efore  they 
that  rive  J 
similar,  fhf^ 
regular  ter 
fertile  val- 
are  gained. 
-ow  of  one 
ken  range, 
[.»ect  to  the 
lling  couu 
j^osite,  that 
iference  of 
;  view  was 
Lwn  nearly 
senting  oh- 
;ompletely 
nixture  o^ 
k:s  of  man, 
1  so  easily 

)n  of  field 
r,  the  best, 
land  and 
ig  exactly, 
)d  upon  a 
nch  plain, 
on  a  scale 
ember  the 
ins  of  the 
the  whole 
)w,  by  ex- 
dl,  and  en- 
espondiij;; 
)f  vvhaf  i 
s  ar*^  OTQ- 
,  pc  '  aps, 
ina  b*)dY. 
icing  tii ;  i 


EXTENT  AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE  VIEW.    249 

number  of  proprietors  to  select  adjacent  ground  for 
their  fcservations,)  and  the  fields  of  golden  yellow, 
or  of  various  shades  and  hues,  are  produced  by  the 
<  j?en  I?  Ids.  The  distance  diminishes  the  objects  to 
ihe  fje,  and  brings  the  several  parts  so  much  in 
union,  as  to  lend  to  the  whole  the  variegated  aspect 
of  the  sort  of  plain  just  mentioned.  The  natural 
river  which  divides  this  glorious  panorama  in  nearly 
two  equal  parts,  with  its  artificial  rival,*  and  the 
sweet  meadows  that  border  its  banks,  were  conceal- 
^  ed  beneath  the  brow  of  the  last  precipitous  descent. 
But  countless  farm-houses,  with  their  capacious  out- 
buildings, dotted  the  fields,  like  indicated  spots  on  a 
crowded  map.  From  those  in  the  near  view,  rose 
the  light  vapoury  summer  smoke.  The  fields  were 
alive  with  herds,  and  with  numberless  and  nearly 
imperceptible  white  atoms,  which,  but  for  their  mo- 
tion, it  v^rould  not  have  been  easy  to  imagine  flocks. 
In  the  distance,  though  these  more  minute  objects 
were  lost,  habitations,  barns,  and  pyramids  of  hay  and 
of  grain,  could  be  distinguished,  until  the  power  of 
vision  failed.  Immediately  at  our  feet,  at  ^he  distance 
of  a  few  miles,  lay  a  wide,  rich  terrace,  intersected 
with  roads,  that  were  bordered,  as  usual,  by  scattered 
farm  buildings,  surrounded  by  their  granaries  and 
barns.  Near  its  centre,  a  cluster  of  buildings  assumed 
the  air  of  a  hamlet.  From  among  these  roofs,  rose 
the  spire  of  a  country  church.  I  was  told  that  a 
multitude  of  villages  la7  within  the  limits  of  the 
view ;  but  as  they  were  generally  placed  near  some 
stream,  for  the  advantage  of  its  water-power,  the  un- 
even formation  of  the  land  hid  them  from  oar  sight. 
The  eye  overlooked  even  the  cities  of  Albany  and 
Troy,  and  rested,  in  that  direction,  on  some  of  the 
lesser  spurs  of  the  mountains  of  Vermont. 


*  The  great  canal,  360  miles  in  length. 


250 


PROOHESS  OF  SETTLEMENTS. 


i 


As  I  looked  upon  this  scene,  I  felt  it  only  wanted 
the  recollections  and  monuments  of  antiquity  to  give 
it  the  deepest  interest.  The  opinion  might  have 
escaped  my  lips,  amid  the  expressions  of  a  sincere 
delight.  My  companion  gently  touched  an  arm,  and 
directed  my  attention  from  the  view  to  himself.  He 
was  standing  at  my  elbow  with  an  open  map  of  the 
country  in  his  hand.  As  he  met  my  eye,  he  gravely 
said,  "  You  complain  of  the  absence  of  association  to 
give  its  secret,  and  perhaps  greatest  charm  which 
such  a  sight  is  capable  of  inspiring.  You  complain 
unjustly.  The  moral  feeling  with  which  a  man  of 
sentiment  and  knowledge  looks  upon  the  plains  of 
your  hemisphere,  is  connected  with  his  recollections ; 
here  it  should  be  mingled  with  his  hopes.  The  same 
effort  of  the  mind  is  as  equal  to  the  one  as  to  the 
other.  Examine  this  map.  You  see  our  position,  and 
you  know  the  space  that  lies  between  us  and  the  sea. 
Now  look  westward,  and  observe  how  many  degrees 
of  longitude,  what  broad  reaches  of  territory  must  be 
passed  before  you  gain  the  limits  of  our  establish- 
ments, and  the  consequent  reign  of  abundance  and 
civilization."  Here  he  dropped  the  map ;  and  I 
fancied  he  even  spoke  with  solemnity,  as  he  con- 
tinued— "Count ,"  he  said,  "you  see  that  I 

am  a  man  of  middle  age :  listen  to  what  even  my 
short  memory  extends.  Along  the  river  which  lies 
hid  in  the  deep  valley  before  us,  the  labours  of  man 
have  existed  for  more  than  a  century.  There  are 
one  or  two  shallow  streams  near  us,  along  which  the 
enterprise  of  the  settlers  early  directed  itself.  A  few 
miles  to  the  west,  we  shall  enter  a  little  valley, 
where  a  handfull  of  refugees  from  Ireland  took  up 
their  abodes  some  eighty  years  ago ;  and  there  are 
other  insulated  spots,  where  solitary  individuals  trust- 
ed to  the  savage,  and  raised  their  simple  dwellinfijs 
before  the  war  of  the  revolution.  But  that  little 
plain,  at  our  feet,  could  have  fed,  and  clothed,  and 


ASSOCIATION  or  AN  AMERICAN  SCENE. 


951 


n\y  wanted 
[uity  to  give 
night  have 
f  a  sincere 
in  arm,  and 
imself.  He 
map  of  the 
,  he  gravely 
sociation  to 
larm  which 
u  complain 
h  a  man  of 
16  plains  of 
collections ; 
The  same 
16  as  to  the 
osition,  and 
and  the  sea. 
any  degrees 
Dry  must  be 
r  establish- 
idance  and 
ap ;  and  I 
as  he  con- 
see  that  I 
it  even  my 
•  which  lies 
urs  of  man 
There  are 
;  which  the 
elf.  A  few 
ttle  valley, 
id  took  up 

1  there  are 
duals  trust- 

2  dwellings 
that   little 

othed,  and 


harboured  all  who  were  then   scattered,   not   only 
over  the  parts  of  the  country  I  have  shown  you  here, 
but,"  svveeping  his  hand  along  the  map,  across  states 
and  territories  larger  than  those  governed  by  most  of 
the  European  monarchs,  "all  of  white  colour,  who 
then  inhabited  these  wide  regions  too.     I  remember 
this  country.  Sir,  as  it  existed  in  my  childhood ;  and 
it  is  vain  to  say,  it  is  a  land  without  recollections. 
Draw  a  line  from  this  spot,  north  and  south,  and  all 
of  civilization  that  you  shall  see  for  a  thousand  miles 
west,  is  what  man  has  done  since  my  infancy.     You 
exclude,  by  this  boundary,  far  more  than  you  gain  in 
the  meagre   exceptions.     That  Tiew  before  you  is 
but  a  fac-simile  of  a  thousand  others.     I  know  not 
what  honest  pleasure  is  to  be  found  in  recollection, 
that  cannot  be  excited  by  a  knowledge  of  these  facts. 
These  are  retrospects  of  the  past,  which,  brief  and 
familiar  as   they  are,  lead   the   mind  insensibly  to 
cheerful  anticipations,  which  may  penetrate  into  a 
futurity  as  dim  and  as  fanciful  as  any  fictions  the 
warmest  imaginations  can  conceive  of  the  past.     But 
the  speculator  on  moral  things  can  enjoy  a  satisfaction 
here,  that  he  who  wanders  over  the  plains  of  Greece 
will  seek  in  vain.     The  pleasure  of  the  latter,  if  he 
be  wise  and  good,  is  unavoidably  tinged  with  melan- 
choly regrets ;  while  here  all  that  reason  allows  may 
be  hoped  for  in  behalf  of  man.     Every  one  in  medi- 
ocrity of  circumstances  has   enjoyed  some  of  that' 
interest  which  is  attendant  on  the  advancement  of 
those  objects  on  which  he  has  fastened  a  portion  of 
his  affections.     It  may  be  the  moral  or  physical  im- 
provement of  his  child, — the  embellishment  of  a  gar- 
den, a  paddock,  a  park,  or  of  the  conveniences  of 
some  town ;  but,  depend  on  it,  there  is  no  pleasure 
connected  with  any  interest  of  this  character,  that  is 
commensurate  with  that  we  enjoy,  who  have  seen 
the  birth,  infancy,  and  youth, '^and   who   are   now 
about  to  become  spectators  of  the  maturity,  of  a 


252 


A  PROSPECT  FOR  THE  FUTURE. 


:t   1 


•pr« 


I  3-': 


J  h  '  ^1 


'daamimiii 


whole  country.  We  live  in  the  excitement  of  a  rapid 
and  constantly  progressive  condition.  The  impetus 
of  society  is  imparted  tc  N  *'  mbers,  and  we  ad- 
vance because  we  aio  not  p/-  ^tomed  to  stand  still. 
Even  the  sagacious  ai.d  enterprising  New-England- 
man,  gets  an  additioiial  impulse  in  such  a  living  cur- 
rent ;  the  descendant  of  the  Hollander  is  fast  losing 
his  phlegm ;  and  men  of  all  nations,  hereditary  habits 
and  opinions,  receive  an  onwari'  aiipuide  by  the 
constant  influence  of  such  a  communion.  I  have 
stood  upon  tbi .  identical  hill,  and  seen  nine  tenths  of 
its  smihng  pi'  spect  darkened  by  the  shadows  of  the 
forest.  You  observe  what  it  is  to-day.  He  who  comes 
a  century  ^ence,  may  hear  the  din  of  a  city  rising 
from  that  very  plain,  or  find  his  faculties  confused 
by  the  number  and  complexity  of  its  works  of  art." 

Cadwallader  ceased,  and  we  re-entered  the  car- 
riage In  silence.  He  had  spoken  wit  i  his  customary 
warmth  and  decision,  but  I  felt  that  he  had  spoken 
the  truth.  I  began  to  look  around  me  with  new  eyes, 
and  instead  of  seekmg  subjects  of  exulting  comparison 
between  what  I  saw  he»-e  and  what  I  had  left  behind 
me,  I  found  new  subjects  of  admiration  and  of  on- 
der  at  every  turn.  You  may  be  assured  I  was  not 
so  ignorant  as  to  forget  that  the  first  tep  in  all  im- 
provements is  more  inr.osinsf  than  i  ^  subsrquent; 
that  to  clear  a  country  oi  its  wood  is  in  itself  a  greater 
visible  change,  than  to  supply  the  place  of  the  latter 
with  the  more  finished  a^cumpanimc  ts  of  civiliza- 
tion ;  but  the  progress  ot  which  I  was  a  witness, 
bounded  itself  by  no  such  vulgar  deception. 

Shortly  after  this  detention,  we  'iter^  ^  the  village 
of  Cherry- Valley,  which  was  the  ot  med  by  mj 
friend  as  the  place  originally  occ  .j>i(-,.  by  the  Irisl 
emigrasits.  It  is  a  village  of  perhaps  a  hundred  dwell- 
ings, seated  on  a  little  plain,  and  is  remarkable  for 
Kotwing,  amid  its  numberless,  neat,  spacious,  and  con- 
venient sisters.     This  place,  now  rather  east  of  the 


US,  aiiu  con- 
east  of  the 


COOPERSTOWN— RATE  OF  POPULATION.     253 

Mon'  t'^^^^t'  ^^^,^""»g  the  war  of  the  revo- 
UnTtpH  t^  ''''*!f/  «^"*^™e»t  in  this  part  of  the 
of  New  Vol?-  f.r'T^^  *^?  **^^^«  ^^  the  State 
Ohin^"^  '  ^"^,**l^  ^^°^^  ^^  the  large  States  of 
Oh  o,    ndiana,  ai.d  Illinois,  lie  nearly  iS  a  hne  due 

tibe  BnflTi  f  ^^^^^/nd  burnt  by  an  incursion  of 
the  British  and  Indians  from  Canada,  during  the  war 

lnh72  ^  ^r'^  't^^  ''  '^^^  ^^  the  bloody  incident 
of  that  day  I  was  shown  a  dwelling  (a  modern  one) 
on  whose  site  a  whole  family  had  been  cutoS^  T^ 

school.     This  boy,  nearly  if  not  the  s  ^e  survivor  of 
u^^a'  ^^ttTwards  became  one  of  t      most  distin- 
guished advocates  of  America.    He  is  recently  dead 

and  lt!:^T       """   ''^'  ^"  ''"^'  ^^  ^^-*^<>" 

tai^rTr^^"^'^^^^'^^',"^^"^  "^^^'^  a»«id  moun- 
tains. lh5  scenery  was  always  striking— sometimes 
wild  and  pecuHar,  at  othei^  as  soft  and  lovely  a  val! 
eys,  streamn  and  ,  could  make  it.     We  passed 

tii      ight  at  Coopcr.tuvvn,  the  shire  or  county  town 

ereat  r3;«  T  "^"^'^  "^"^  completely  off  all  the 
gi  eat  routes  est,  e  mi  j>nrt  of  the  countrv  that 
had  been  settled  abo.  fo^ty  years,  I  profited  by  the 
opportumty  to  make  a  f.w  statistical  inquiShat 
may  serve  to  g.ve  a  (..lerably  accurate  genem  idea 
of^  lis  portion  of  the  country.  ^ 

I'he  counf-  of  Otsego  covers,  as  rear  as  I  could 
a  certam,  less  than  a  thousand  squ  «  :  miles  Its 
population  in  1826  was  47,000  soul.  By  allowin' 
tor  the  increase  of  numbers  since,  the  ^^roDortion  wilt 
gi^  mther  more  thnn  fifty  inhabitants  tc-  f]  c  square 
mif  .  Cooperstown  i.  the  largest  place  n  the  countv 
containmg  less  than  filteer.  hundred  inhabitant  fd 
conscquentiy  ti..s  is  the  rate  of  the  Ticultural  a  4 
manutactuniff  nooulatinn  nf  nn  ^«f;    .i.,  :^.  _j   _ 


*  The  late  John  Wells,  of  New- York. 
Vol.  1,  2 


}   » 


hi 


254  DESCRIPTIONS  IN  "THE  PIONEERS.'^ 

rather  secluded,  portion  of  the  State.  The  village  is 
neat,  better  built  even  than  is  common  in  Amenca, 
which  is  vastly  better  (for  villages)  than  any  thing  of 
the  sort  in  Europe.  It  lies  on  one  of  the  smallest  of 
those  lakes  with  which  New  York  abounds. 

There  resided  formerly  ii^^ar  this  village  a  gentle- 
man who  is  the  reputed  author*  of  a  series  of  tales, 
which  were  intended  to  elucidate  the  history,  man- 
ners, usages,  and  scenery,  of  his  native  country.     As 
curiosity  on  Amei    an  subjects  has  led  to  their  re- 
publication in  Europe,  you  may  possibly  have  seen 
the  books.    One  of  them  (the  "  Pioneers")  is  said  to 
contain  some  pretty  faithful  sketches  of  certain  habits, 
and  even  of  some  individuals  who  were  known  among 
the  earlier  settlers  of  this  very  spot.    I  cannot  pledge 
myself  for  the  accuracy  of  this  opinion,  nor  could  any 
)ne  be  found  here  who  appeared  to  possess  sufficient 
information  on  the  subject  to  confirm  it.    But,  so  far 
as  natural  objects  are  concerned,  the  descriptions  are 
sufficiently  exact,  and  will  fortunately  save  me  the 
trouble  of  repetition.     My  present  object,  however, 
in  referring  to  the  book,  is  to  lead  you  to  a  peculianty 
that,  I  think,  distinguishes  not  only  this  precise  spot, 
but  most  others,  within  the  limits  of  what  is  called 
the  "  new  countries."!     You  will  find  the  stumps, 
wild-looking  and  dead  trees,  with  other  evidences  of 
a  recent  origin,  frequently  alluded  to  in  the  descnp- 
tions  of  the  Pioneers.     There  is  certainlv  some  dif- 
ference in  the  duration  of  these  relics  of  the  forest, 
according  to  the  durable  qualities  of  the  ongmal 
growth  of  timber.     Still,  more  or  less  of  these  rude 


*  The  Americans,  like  the  English,  rarely  put  their  names  to 
any  light  works. 

+  The  Americans  call  all  that  portion  of  their  terntoiy  which 

has  been  sexuea  siiiuc  wio  xcrvx«-.-.-.-     --     --   -         

been  created  since  that  period,  it  is  a  «  new  State ;»  but  Otsego, 
and  indeed  all  of  New-York,  is  already  gettmg,  by  cor  nanson, 
tobu"old." 


MODE  or  CLEARING  LAND. 


255 


leir  names  to 


and  ungainly  accompaniments  are  still  to  be  found 
m  two  thirds  of  the  landscapes  of  these  regions.  The 
stumps  of  the  deciduous  trees  disappear  in  a  few  sea- 
sons ;  but  where  there  have  been  many  of  a  peren- 
nial growth,  a  century  will  scarcely  serve  to  destroy 
them. 

You   will   recollect,   that  those   descriptions   of 
girdled  trees,  of  which  we  read  in  Europe,  as  forming 
a  part  of  American  scenery,  are  rather  exceptions, 
than  characteristic.     It  is  a  manner  of  improving 
certainly  m  rh  practised  at  the  south,  and  sometimes 
in  the  more  northern  States  ;  but  it  is  far  from  being 
either  the  best,  or  the  ordinary  mode  of  clearing  land, 
m  any  great  section  of  the  country.     The  tree  is 
commonly  felled  by  cutting  it  at  such  a  distance  from 
the  earth,  as  may  be  most  convenient  to  the  stature 
of  the  chopper.    The  trunk  is  then  divided  into  suit- 
able lengths,  and  the  branches  are  severed,  and  col- 
lected.    With  the  exceptions  of  such  trees  as   are 
selected  for  lumber,  the  whole  are  piled  in  heaps  of 
sufficient  size  to  insure  their  consumption  by  fire. 
The  latter  process  is  called  logging.     The  brand  is 
next  applied,  and  the  whole  field  is  subjected  to  a 
temporary,  but  fierce  action  of  the  element.    Nothing 
can  be  more  dreary  and  savage  in  aspect,  than  an 
extensive  plain,  or  a  valley,  which  has  thus  been  com- 
pletely blackened  by  fire.     They  are  frequent  in  the 
newer  districts,  but  comparatively  rare  in  those  of 
ten  or  fifteen  years'  establishment. 

The  admixture  of  civilization  with  these  wild- 
looking  memorials  of  a  state  of  nature,  is,  indeed,  the 
chief  distinctive  feature  between  a  landscape  in  the 
newer  districts  of  America,  and  one  in  our  own  Eu- 
rope. There  are  certainly  other  points  ol  difference, 
but  I  should  describe  this  as  the  principal  and  most 

Rrnb'inop        flnp  r>or»    ar\r\n    V\r\rtr^tr^<^    «. — .._x .i  j  _    ji 

~... jjT       .-s.t;  --Mix    ov,"--ii    tJi^T^Oiiic    ai;c;uBtuiiiuu  lO  ine 

universal  use  of  fences ;  to  even  what  appears  to  be 


■I 


IS_11. 


256 


FRESH  APPEARANCE  OP  THE  COUNTRY. 


a  prodigal  waste  of  wood  in  their  construction  ;*  and 
to  that  air  of  newness  and  freshness  which  is  so  very 
striking,  in  the  villages,  farm-houses,  out-buildings, 
and,  indeed,  every  thing  artificial  one  sees.  But  time 
and  reflection  are  necessary  to  understand  the  situa- 
tion of  a  country,  in  which  academies,  churches, 
towns,  and,  in  short,  most  things  which  an  advanced 
state  of  civilization  can  produce,  are  blended  with 
objects  that  commonly  mark  an  infant  state  of  society. 
There  is  no  difficulty  in  comprehending  the  growth 
of  Petersburg,  or  of  Odessa,  for  one  sees  the  hand 
of  the  autocrat  in  their  works;  but  in  America, 
all  beyond  that  whic?  lature  has  done,  is  the  spon- 
taneous work  of  the  population.  There  are  certainly 
vast  tracts  of  country  where  these  coarser  evidences 
of  infancy  have  already  disappeared;  but  they  are 
still  to  be  found  in  many  others,  even  in  the  com- 
paratively old  establishments  of  the  western  parts 
of  New- York  and  Pennsylvania. 


*  The  American  fences  vary  according  to  the  quarter  of  the 
country  in  which  they  are  situated.    „They  are  often  well  built, 
and  even  handsome,  low  walls  of  stone.     The  writer  saw  not 
only  farms,  but  large  districts,  subdivided  into  fields  of  from  five 
to  fifty  acres  in  this  manner.    Next  to  these,  are  fences,  of  which 
the  basements  are  made  of  stone,  and  the  summits  of  rails.  Posts 
and  rails  come  next,  and  are  found  every  where  in  the  second 
stage  of  improvement.     A  fence  that  is  called  a  "  worm  fence," 
from  its  being  composed  of  rails  with  the  ends  alternately  laid 
on  each  other,  in  the  form  of  a  screen,  is  much  in  use,  especially 
where  the  abundance  of  timber  renders  Jabour  a  greater  object 
than  Wood.     The  first,  and  certainly  the  most  natural,  if  not 
the  most  durable,  division  of  the  land,  is  by  what  is  called  the 
"  log-fence."     This  is  formed  by  laying  the  trunks  of  trees  in  a 
line,  with  their  ends  doubling  for  a  couple  of  feet.    Notches  are 
cut  in  the  ends  of  these  logs,  and  billets  of  wood  are  laid  in  them 
to  connect  the  ends.     The  upper  sides  of  the  billets  are  also 
notched,  and  they  serve  for  the  fpundations  of  new  tiers.    Three 
logs  piled  in  this  manner  make  an  efficient  fence.    The  duration 
is,  of  course,  according  to  the  quality  of  the  tme.     Perhaps  ten 
years  may  be  fixer*  for  the   average.     Hedges  are  very  rare. 
Fences  are  sometimes  made  of  stumps,  extracted  by  the  roots 
from  the  earth. 


NTRY. 

ruction  ;*  and 
ich  is  so  very 
out-buildings, 
ees.  But  time 
ind  the  situa- 
tes, churches, 

an  advanced 
blended  with 
ate  of  society. 
g  the  groM^th 
sees  the  hand 

in  America, 
3,  is  the  spon- 

are  certainly 
ser  evidences 

but  they  are 
I  in  the  com- 
vestern  parts 


e  quarter  of  the 
often  well  built, 
writer  saw  not 
elds  of  from  five 
fences,  of  which 
its  of  rails.  Posts 
e  in  the  second 
I "  worm  fence," 

alternately  laid 
n  use,  especially 
a  greater  object 
;  natural,  if  not 
hat  is  called  the 
iks  of  trees  in  a 
3t.  Notches  are 
are  laid  in  them 
billets  are  also 
3w  tiers.  Three 
.  The  duration 
B-     Perhaps  ten 

are  very  rare, 
ed  by  the  roots 


V     257     ) 

TO  Sm  EDWARD  WALLER,  BART. 

ice.  &c. 


New -York,- 


The  day  after  we  had  quitted  Cooperstown,  w 
«aw  a  collection  of  people  assembled  in  front  of  an 
mn,  which  was  the  principal  edifice  in  a  hamlet  of 
perhaps  a  dozen  houses.  Cadwallader  told  me  this 
was  the  first  day  of  the  State  election,  and  that  this 
spot  was  one  of  the  polls,  a  name  which  answers  in 
some  degree  to  the  English  term,  "hustings."  Fortu- 
nately, the  stage  changed  horses  at  the  inn,  and  I  had 
an  opportunity  of  examining  the  incipient  step  in 
that  process  which  literally  dictates  all  the  national 
policy  of  this  great  republic. 

Although  each  State  controls  its  own  forms,  not 
only  in  the  elections,  but  in  every  thing  else,  a  de- 
scnption  of  the  usages  of  one  poll  will  be  sufficiently 
near  the  truth  to  give  a  correct  general  idea  of  them 
all.  I  now  speak  literally  only  of  the  State  of  New- 
York,  though,  generally,  of  the  whole  Union.  The 
elections  occur  once  a  year.*  They  last  three  days. 
In  the  large  towns,  they  are  stationary,  there  beirg 
no  inconvenience  in  such  an  arrangement  where  the 
population  is  dense,  and  the  distances  short.  But  in 
the  country  they  are  held  on  each  successive  day  at 
a  different  place,  in  order  to  accommodate  the  voters. 
Ihe  btate  is  divided  into  counties,  which  cover  on 
an  average,  900  square  miles  each.    Some  are,  how- 

„r*i>T^f  ®t'^,  °"f  ®l^.*^  '^^®''?  ^^^y  °^*^"''  twice— the  little  State 
of  Rhode  Island,  which  is  still  ^  ^verned  by  the  form  of  its  an- 
cient charter,  as  ^ranted  bv  Chnrlfi*  TT  5«  ipai     a  _  tu:_  : 

.'      II     ii  ■         T  .''    *"  '■■^•^'-"     Jn.a  tills  13  prac- 

tically  the  most  democratic  State  in  the  Union,  it  affords  pretty 
pood  evidence  that  the  experiment  of  a  democratic  government 
18  not  80  new  m  America  as  some  pretend 

Z  2 


05a 


MANNEtt   OF   ELECTIONS. 


ever,  larger,  and  some  smaller.  These  counties  are 
again  subdivided  into  townships,  covering,  perhaps, 
eighty  or  ninety  square  miles.  There  is,  also,  great 
inequality  in  the  size  of  these  minor  districts.  These 
are  the  two  great  divisions  of  territory  for  all  the 
ordinary  purposes  of  government  and  police.  The 
counties  have  courts  of  their  own,  and  a  certain 
sort  of  legislative  body,  which  regulates  many  of 
their  financial  affairs.  In  order  that  the  whole  sub- 
ject, however,  may  be  rendered  as  clear  as  possible, 
we  will  begin  at  the  base,  and  ascend  to  the  super- 
structure of  their  government. 

The  most  democratic  assemblage  known  to  the 
laws,  in  which  legal  and  binding  resolutions  can  be 
enacted,  are  the  town  meetings.  Any  number  of  the 
peo}  b  may  assemble  when  and  w^here  they  please, 
to  remonstrate,  to  petition,  or  even  to  plot,  if  they 
see  fit ;  but  their  acts  can  only  be  recommendatory. 
The  town  meetings  are  held  annually,  and  every  citi- 
zen who  has  attained  his  majority  can  vote.  A  mode- 
rator (no  bad  name  for  a  perfectly  popular  assembly) 
is  chosen  by  acclamation  to  prrside.  The  meeting 
is  commonly  held  in  some  school-house,  but  very  often 
in  the  open  air.  In  some  places,  though  rarely, 
there  are  town-houses.     At  these  meetings,  all  the 

-^town  officers  are  chosen.  They  consist  of  a  super- 
visor ;  three  assessors,  who  apportion  all  the  taxes 
on  the  individuals,  whether  imposed  by  town,  county, 
state,  or  United  States;  collectors,  who  collect  all 
the  taxes,  except  those  laid  by  the  United  States 
government,  which  in  time  of  peace,  are  just  nothing 
at  all;  a  town-clerk,  who  keeps  certain  registers; 
constable,  poor-officers,  overseers  of  highways,  path- 
masters,  and  a  few  others.  The  names  of  most  of 
these  officers  indicate  their  duties.  The  overseers 
of  the  highway  are  the  men  who  lay  out  the  ordinary 

^  roads  of  the  town,  and  who  say  how  much  tax  each 
individual  shall  contribute  in  work  or  in  money; -and 


tROCEEDlNdS   AT  A  TOWN  MEETmo. 


250 


counties  are 
ig,  perhaps, 

also,  great 
cts.    These 

for  all  the 
>lice.  The 
i  a  certain 
;s  many  of 

whole  sub- 
as  possible, 
)  the  super- 

)wn  to  the 
ions  can  be 
Tiber  of  the 
hey  please, 
lot,  if  they 
mendatory. 

I  every  citi- 
;.  A  mode- 
r  assembly) 
be  meeting 
t  very  often 
jgh  rarely, 
igs,  all  the 
of  a  super- 

II  the  taxes 
wn,  county, 

collect  all 
ited  States 
ust  nothing 
I  registers; 
ivays,  path- 
of  most  of 
e  overseers 
tie  ordinary 
:h  tax  each 
aoney;'and 


the  path-masters  inspect  the  labour.  Men  of  prop- 
erty and  education  frequently  seek  the  latter  employ- 
ment.  The  voting  in  this  popular  assembly  may  be 
by  ballot,  but  it  is  generally  done  by  acclamation. 
There  is  a  penalty  if  an  individual  refuse  to  serve, 
though  they  are  sometimes  excused  by  the  citizens, 
if  a  good  reason  can  be  rendered.  The  courts  have 
also  a  discretionary  power  in  imposing  and  in  laying 
fines.  I  was  present  during  the  course  of  this  excur- 
sion at  one  of  these  town  meetings.  There  might 
have  been  two  hundred  citizens  assembled  before  the 
door  of  a  large  school-house.  Much  good-humour 
was  blended  with  a  sufficient  despatch  of  business. 
The  Americans  mingle  with  a  perfect  consciousness 
of  their  influence  on  the  government,  an  admirable 
respect  for  the  laws  and  institutions  of  their  country. 
I  heard  jokes,  and  one  or  two  open  nominations  of  - 
men  of  property  and  character,  to  fill  the  humble 
offices  of  constable  and  pound-keeper;  but  the  most 
perfect  good  sense  and  practical  usefulness  appeared 
to  distinguish  all  their  decisions.  There  was  a  con- 
test for  the  office  of  supervisor,  and  it  was  decided 
by  a  close  vote.  The  two  candidates  were  present, 
and  on  seemingly  very  good  terms.  They  were  re- 
spectable looking  yeomen,  and  he  who  lost  told  his 
rival  that  he  thought  the  people  had  shown  their 
judgment.  There  wSs  no  noise,  no  urinking,  nor 
any  excitenjient  beyond  that  which  one  would  feel  . 
in  seeing  an  ordinary  foot-race.  One  farmer  ob- 
served, that  the  crows  had  got  the  taste  of  his 
corn,  and  unless  something  was  done,  there  could 
be  little  hope  for  the  year's  crop.  He  therefore 
would  propose  that  a  reward  of  six  cents  should  be 
paid  for  every  dozen  that  should  be  killed,  within 
their  town,  for  the  next  six  months.  The  resolution 
was  opposed  by  a  hatter,  who  insisted  that  he  covAd 
take  care  of  his  hats,  and  that  the  farmers  ought  to 
take  care  of  their  corn.     This  logic  was  unsuccess-* 


260     BOARD  or  SUPERVISORS^  WITH  ITS  POWER. 

ful;  the  price  was  reduced  a  trifle,  and  the  resolution 
was  passed.  It  was  then  just  as  much  a  law  as  that 
which  hangs  a  man  for  murder.  The  sum  voted  to 
meet  the  expense  was  to  be  apportioned  with  the 
other  taxes,  among  the  citizens,  by  the  assessors,  col- 
lected bv  the  collector,  received  and  paid  by  another 
officer,  &c.  &;c.  After  this  important  act  of  legisla- 
tion, the  meeting  adjourned. 

The  next  body  in  the  scale  of  the  government  is 
the  board  of  supervisors.  It  is  composed  of  the  su- 
pervisors of  each  town  in  a  county,  who  have  a  very 
■  similar  legislative  authority  over  the  more  familiar 
interests  of  the  county,  as  is  possessed  by  their  con- 
stituents in  the  town^  themselves.  They  impose 
taxes  for  all  oW^ects  connected  with  the  expenses  of 
the  county.  Their  authority  is,  however,  a  good 
deal  circumscribed ;  enactments  by  the  State  legisla- 
ture being  often  necessary  to  enforce  their  recom- 
mendations. When  the  question  involves  an  expense 
heavier  than  common,  and  its  effects  are  entirely 
local,  the  question  is  often  r^erred  to  a  final  decision 
of  the  people  in  their  town  meetings.  This  board 
audits  the  accounts,  and  I  believe  it  appoints  a  trea- 
surer for  the  county.  So  far  you  see  the  process  of 
government  is  exceedingly  simple.  The  whole  legis- 
lative duty  is  discharged  in  three  or  four  days,  and 
yet  the  decisions  have  great  influence  on  the  comfort 
and  property  of  the  people.  The  duties  of  the  offi- 
cers named,  continue  fo-  le  year,  but  the  same  in 
cumbents  are  frequently  continued  for  a  whole  life 
especially  the  collectors,  treasurers,  constables,  and 
clerks. 

Each  town  is  also  subdivided  into  school  districts, 
and  road  districts.  There  are  overseeri  of  the  schools, 
who  regulate  all  that  belongs  to  the  famihar  duties  of 
the  common  schook  of  thft  r.niinfrv  in  whi/^h  q«w 
body  may  go. 

Each  township  is  also  a  petty  electoral  district  of 


-esolution 
w  as  that 
1  voted  to 
with  the 
isors,  col- 
y  another 
>f  legisla- 

rnment  is 
>f  the  su- 
ve  a  very 
I  famiHar 
heir  con- 
^  impose 
senses  of 
,  a  good 
:e  legisia- 
r  recom- 
i  expense 
entirely 
decision 
lis  board 
ts  a  trea- 
rocess  of 
lole  legis- 
iays,  and 
5  comfort 
tiie  offi- 
same  in 
[lole  life 
bles,  and 

districts, 
5  schools, 
duties  of 

'-'''^■•--'    -"J 

istrict  of 


ELECTORAL    DISTRICTS. 


261 


itself,  for  all  the  ordinary  purposes  of  the  State  and  the 
United  States'  elections,  which  are  held  at  the  same 
time  and  place.     The  three  stations  taken  for  the 
convenience  of  the  elections,  as  already  mentioned, 
are  selected  by  the  inspectors  of  the  poll,  who  are 
five  or  six  of  the  town  officers,  named  by  law,  and  of 
course  chosen  annually  by  the  people  in  their  original 
capacity.     Each  county  chooses  its  own  representa- 
tives to  the  lower  branch  of  the  State  legislature,  the 
number  being  according  to  the  amount  of  the  popu- 
lation.    The  State  is  again  divided  into  what  are 
called  senatorial  districts,  composed  of  several  con- 
tiguous counties,  each  of  which  chooses  a  certain 
number  of  representatives,  who  sit  in  the  upper  body 
of  the  State  legislature.     Each  State  has  a  right  to 
send  to  the  lower  House  of  Congress  a  number  of  re- 
presentatives, in  proportion  to  its  entire  population. 
These  representatives  must  be  chosen  by  the  people, 
but  the  States  themselves  may  regulate  the  form! 
Some  choose  them  by  a  general  ticket ;  that  is  to  say^ 
each  citizen  votes  for  the  whole  number ;  and  some 
choose  them  by  districts,  in  which  case  each  citizen 
votes  for  the  member,  or  members,  who  represent 
his   particular   district.     The   latter  is   the    course 
adopted  by  New- York,  and  in  most  of  the  other  large 
States,  in  which  it  is  difficult  for  the  characters  of  so 
many  individuals  to  be  intimately  known  to  every 
body. 

Now,  compl".'  ted  as  this  system  may  seem  in 
words,  it  is  perftv^tly  simple  in  practice.  It  is  aston- 
ishing  how  clearly  it  is  understood  by  those  who  ex- 
ercise it,  and  how  difficult  it  is  to  make  a  foreigner 
get  a  correct  idea  of  its  detaijg.  All  the  elections, 
except  those  which  are  maJc  at  the  town  meetings, 
where  other  duties  necessarily  assemble  the  citizens, 
are  held  at  the  same  tiine,  and  at  the  same  place. 
Thus  an  American,  in  one  of  the  more  populous 
States,  can  exercise  all  his  constitutional  rights  at  an 


'; 


«  •■»' 


'     ! 


262 


MANNER    or    BALLOl'ING. 


expense  commonly  of  a  ride  of  four  or  five  miles  bX 
the  outside,  and  of  three  hours  of  time. 

The  election  on  the  present  occasion  embraced 
senators,  (always  for  the  State,)  representatives  in 
the  assembly,*  governor,  lieutenant^overnor,  &c. 
The  inspectors  were  assembled  in  a  quiet  room  of 
the  inn,  with  the  ballot-boxes  placed  before  them,  on 
a  table.  The  voters  entered  at  their  leisure,  and  de- 
livered their  different  ballols  to  the  officers,  who, 
holding  them  up  as  lottery  numbers  are  usually  ex- 
hibited, called  tiie  name  of  the  voter  aloud,  and  then 
deposited  the  ballot  in  its  proper  box.  "  I  challenge 
that  vote,"  cried  an  individual,  as  the  name  of  one 
man  was  thus  proclaimed.  It  appeared  that  there 
were  doubts  of. its  legality.  An  inquiry  was  instituted, 
an  oath  proffered,  explanations  were  made,  and  the 
challenge  was  withdrawn.  The  vote  was  then  re- 
ceived. Any  one  who  votes  may  challenge.  No- 
thing could  be  more  quiet  and  orderly  than  this  meet- 
ing. A  few  handbills  were  posted  around  the  house, 
proclaiming  the  names,  and  extolling  the  qualities  of 
the  different  candidates,  and  I  heard  one  or  two  men 
disputing  the  wisdom  of  certain  public  measures, 
rather  in  irony  than  in  heat.  The  election  was  not, 
however,  esteemed  a  warm  one,  and  perhaps  quite 
one  third  of  the  people  did  not  attend  the  polls  at  all. 
Mr.  Clinton,  the  governor,  under  whose  administra- 
tion the  canal  policy,  as  it  is  called,  has  been  fostered, 
had  declined  a  re-election,  at  the  expiration  of  the 
official  term  preceding  the  one  now  in  existence. 
His  place  had  been  filled  by  another.  In  the  mean 
time,  his  political  adversaries,  profiting  by  a  momen- 
tary possession  of  a  legislative  majority,  had  ventured 


*  The  more  popular  branch  of  the  State  legislature,  as  it  is 
«ometimes  called,  though  both  are  popula^  alike.  The  difference 
«  principally  in  the  term  of  service,  and  in  some  littlf  exercise 


e  miles  di 

embraced 
ntatives  in 
ernor,  &c. 
2t  room  of 
•e  them,  on 
re,  and  de- 
cers,  who, 
usually  ex- 
it and  then 
[  challenge 
me  of  one 
that  there 
instituted, 
e,  and  the 
s  then  re- 
nge.  No- 
I  this  meet- 
the  house, 
qualities  of 
r  two  men 
measures, 
n  was  not, 
tiaps  quite 
polls  at  all. 
idministra- 
n  fostered, 
ion  of  the 
existence, 
the  mean 
a  momen- 
i  ventured 


;ure,  as  it  is 
lie  difference 
ttle  exetf^m 


MR.  CLINTON  AVENGED  B^  THE  PEOPLE.        263 

to  assail  him  in  a  manner  the  people  were  not  dis- 
posed to  rehsj  He  was  removed  from  a  seat  at  the 
canal  board,"  a  measure  which  was  undoubtedly 
mtended  to  separate  him,  as  far  as  possible,  from  a 
policy  that  was  already  conferring  incalculable  ad- 
told  of  .V  *n'  ^^  ^^'  instant'cadwallader  was 
told  of  this  ill-advised  and  illiberal  measure,  he  ex 

claimed  that  the  political  adversaries  of  this  gentle 
man  had  reseated  him  in  the  chair  of  the  government 
When  asked  for  an  explanation,  my  friend  answered! 
that  the  people,  though  they  sometimes  visited  politi- 
cal  blunders  with  great  severity,  rarely  tolerated  per- 
secution  The  event  has  justified  his  predictions. 
Although  a  popular  candidate  was  selected  to  oppose 
him,  Mr.  Clinton  has  triumphed  in  this  election  by 
an  immense  majority,  and,  in  a  few  days,  he  will 
become  governor  of  the  State  for  another  term  of  two 
years.* 

After  quitting  the  poll,  we  u-  iliarly  discussed  the 
ments  and  demerits  of  this  system  of  popular  elec 
tions.  In  order  to  extract  the  opinions  of  my  ^nond 
several  of  the  more  obvious  and  ordinary  ohjectio  iJ 
were  started,  with  a  freedom  that  indu  e^^him  to 
speak  with  some  seriousness. 

«  You  see  a  thousand  dangers  in  universal  surfrage  " 
he  said,  "merely  because  you  have  been  taught  to 

HpJ'    TV'^'f  ^"*  ^"^^^  *;ri"^  '^^^  the  experiment 
tned.    The  Austnan  would  be  very  apt  to  say,  under 

the  influence  of  mere  speculation  too,  that  it  would 

be  fatal  to  government  to  have  any  representation  at 

^  ;  and  a  vizier  of  the  Grand  Turk  might  find  the 

mild  exercise  of  the  laws,  which  is  certainly  practised 

m  Austria  Proper,  altogether  fatal  to  good  order 


arefo^d  roUed  together,  both  are  r'ejected.    ThTf^Td  TZ 


264 


UNIVERSAL    SU^rRAGE. 


"     m 


i't  I 


Now  we  know,  not  from  the  practice  of  fifty  years 
only,  but  from  the  practice  of  two  centuries,  that  it 
is  veiy  possible  to  have  both  order  and  prosperity 
under  a  form  of  government  which  admits  of  the  ut- 
most extension  of  the  suffrage.  It  is  a  never-failing 
argument  on  these  subjects,  that  American  order  is 
owing  to  the  morality  of  a  simple  condition  of  life, 
and  that  our  prosperity  is  incidental  to  our  particular 
geographical  situation.  There  are  many  good  men, 
and,  in  other  respects,  wise  men,  even  among  our- 
selves, who  retain  so  much  of  the  political  theory 
which  pervades  the  literature  of  oUr  language,  as  to 
believe  the  same  thing.  For  myself,  I  cannot  see  the 
truth  of  either  of  these  positions.  Our  prosperity  is 
owing  to  our  intelligence,  and  our  intelligence  to  our 
institutions.  Every  discreet  man  in  America  is  deeply 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  diffusing  instruction 
among  our  people,  just  as  many  very  well-meaning 
persons  in  your  hemisphere  honestly  enough  entertain 
a  singular  horror  of  the  danger  of  school-books.  Thus 
it  is,  our  natural  means  of  safety  to  do  the  very  thing 
which  must,  of  necessity,  have  the  greatest  possible 
influence  on  the  happiness,  civilization,  and  power, 
of  a  nation. 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  that,  under  a  bald  theojry, 
a  representation  would  be  all  the  better  if  the  most 
ignorant,  profligate,  and  vagabond  part  of  the  com- 
munity, were  excluded  from  the  right  of  voting.  It 
is  just  as  true,  that  if  all  the  rogues  and  corrupt  poli- 
ticians, even  including  those  who  read  Latin,  and 
have  well-lined  pockets,  could  be  refused  the  right 
of  voting,  honest  men  would  fare  all  the  better.  But 
as  it  is  very  well  known  that  the  latter  are  not,  nor 
cannot  well  be  excluded  from  the  right  of  suffrage 
any  where,  except  in  a  despotism,  we  have  come  to 
the  conclusion,  that  it  is  scarcely  worth  while  to  do 
so  much  violence  to  natural  justice,  without  sufficient 
reason,  as  to  disfranchise  a  man  merely  because  he 


Lve  come  to 


NATURAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  GOVERNMENT.  265 

is  poor.     Though  a  trifling  qmlif  Aion  of  property 
may  sometmies  he  useful,  in  particular  conditions  of 

«^^!f  T' ,      '^  ^^!!  ^^  "^  S'^^*^''  ^^"^^y  than  its  re- 
presentation.    The  most  vehement  declaimers  in  fa- 

Iv^'i''  1    f  •^"'*'''\''^  *^^  representation  of  property, 
overlook  two  or  three  very  important  points  of  the 
argument.     A  man  maybe  a  voluntary  associate  in 
a  joint-st^ck  company,  and  justly  have  a  right  to  a 
participation  m  its  management,  in  proportion  to  his 
pecumary  interest;  but  life  is  not  a  chartered  insti- 
tution      Men  are  born  with  all  their  wants  and  pas- 
sions, their  means  of  enjoyment,  and  their  sources  of 
misery,  without  any  agency  of  their  own,  and  fre- 
quently  to  their  great  discomfort.   Now,  though  gov- 
ernment  is,  beyond  a  doubt,  a  sort  of  compact,  it 
would  seem  that  those  who  prescribe  its  conditions 
are  under  a  natural  obligation  to  consult  the  rights 
of  the  whole.    If  men,  when  a  little  better  than  com- 
mon, were  any  thing  like  perfect,  we  might  hope  to 
see  power  lodged  with  safety  in  the  hands  of  a  rea- 
sonable  portion  of  the  enlightened,  without  any  dan- 
ger of  Its  abuse.     But  the  experience  of  the  worid 
goes  to  prove,  that  there  is  a  tendency  to  monopoly 
wherever  power  is  reposed  in  the  hands  of  a  minor- 
ity.    ^othlng  IS  more  likely  to  be  true,  than  that 
twenty  wise  men  will  unite  in  opinion  in  opposition 
to  a  hundred  fools ;  but  nothing  is  more  certain  than 
that  if  placed  in  situations  to  control  all  the  interests 
of  their  less  gifted  neighbours,  the  chance  is,  that 
ifteen  or  sixteen  of  them  would  pervert  their  phi- 
losophy to  selfishness.    This  was  at  least  our  political 
creed,  and  we  therefore  admitted  a  vast  majority  of 
he  community  to  a  right  of  voting.   Since  the  hour  of 
the  revolution,  the  habits,  opinions,  laws,  and  I  may 
^ay  principles  of  the  Americans,  are  gettin^r  dailv  to 
u«  more  aeinocratic.     We  are  perfectly  aware,  that 
while  the  votes  of  a  few  thousand  scattered  individu- 
als can  make  no  great  or  lasting  impression  on  the 
VOL.   I.  A  a 


^' 


966 


EFFECTS  OP  AN  EXTENDED  SUFFRAGE. 


1 

1 

T 

t 

H 

j 

r 

1  if 

f 

t 

V  * 

■'i 

1  , 

: 

1? 

•t>.-' 


t  >^J 


prosperity  or  policy  of  the  country,  their  disafTectior 
at  being  excluded  might  give  a  great  deal  of  trouble. 
I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  suffrage  may  not,  i» 
most  countries,  be  extended  too  far.  I  only  wish  to 
show  you  that  it  is  not  here. 

"  The  theory  of  representation  of  property  says, 
that  the  man  who  has  little  shall  not  dispose  of  the 
money  of  him  who  has  more.*  Now,  what  say  ex- 
perience and  common  sense?  It  is  the  man  who 
has  much  that  is  prodigal  of  the  public  purse.  A  sum 
that  is  trifling  in  his  account,  may  constitute  the  sub- 
stance of  one  who  is  poorer.  Beyond  all  doubt,  the 
government  of  the  world,  which  is  most  reckless  of 
the  public  money,  is  that  in  which  power  is  the  ex- 
clusive property  of  the  very  rich ;  and,  beyond  all 
doubt,  the  government  of  the  world  which,  compared 
with  its  means,  is  infinitely  the  most  sparing  of  its 
resources,  is  that  J  v  'lich  they  who  enact  the  laws 
are  compelled  to  coi^salt  the  wishes  of  those  who 
have  the  least  to  b(  stow.  It  is  idle  to  say  that  an 
enlarged  and  liberal  policy  governs  the  measures  of 
the  one,  and  that  the  other  is  renowned  for  a  narrow- 
ness which  has  lessened  its  influence  and  circum- 
scribed its  prosperity.  I  know  not,  nor  care  not, 
what  men,  who  are  dazzled  with  the  glitter  of  things, 
may  choose  to  say,  but  I  am  thoroughly  convinced, 
from  observation,  that  if  the  advice  of  those  who 
were  influenced  by  what  is  called  a  liberal  policy, 
had  been  followed  in  our  country,  we  should  have 
been  a  poorer  and,  consequently,  a  less  important 
and  less  happy  people  than  at  present.  The  relations 
between  pohtical  liberality,  and  what  is  called  politi- 
cal prodigality,  are  wonderfully  intimate. 

"  We  find  that  our  government  is  cheaper,  and 


*  When  the  numbers  of  those  who  have  nothing,  get  to  be  so 
great  as  to  make  their  voices  of  importance,  it  is  time  to  think 
of  some  serious  change. 


E. 

saflectior 
if  trouble, 
ay  not,  in 
y  wish  tr 

erty  says, 
)se  of  the 
it  say  ex- 
man  who 
e.  A  sum 
9  the  sub- 
loubt,  the 
3ckles8  of 
is  the  ex- 
eyond  all 
compared 
'ing  of  its 
;  the  laws 
hose  who 
y  that  an 
iasures  of 
a  narrow- 
l  circum- 
care  not, 
of  things, 
onvinced, 
lose  who 
al  policy, 
►uld  have 
important 
5  relations 
led  politi- 

aper,  and 


get  to  be  so 
ae  to  think 


CAUSES  OF  AMERICAN  fcc    <NOMY. 


267 


even  stronger,  ^or  being  popular.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  the  jealousy  of  those  who  have  liltle,  often  in- 
duces a  false  economy,  anc!  that  money  might  fre- 
quently be  saved  by  bidding  higher  for  talent.  We 
lav  no  claims  to  perfection,  but  we  do  say,  th;'  more 
g(Md  IS  attaineu  i  this  manner  than  in  anv  othei 
wh  ch  IS  prn^tisf.*!  elsewhere.  We  look  at  th' 
gregate  of  advantage,  and  neither  our  calcula 
nor  our  hopes  have,  as  vet,  been  greatly  deceiv. 

"  As  to  the  forms  of  our  elections,  you  see       it 
♦hey  are  beyond  ca  ^mple  simple  and  orderly.     Alter 
an  exp«    ence  of  near  forty  years,  I  can  say  that  I 
hav,  »    ver  seen  a  bl^      struck,  nor  any  other  violent 
pror    ^ding,  at  a  poll.        ese  things  certainly  do  hap- 
pen, out,  m  compati^on  .with  the  opportunities,  at 
rema.Kably  long  intervals.  So  far  from  the  frequency 
of  elections  tending  to  disturb  society,  they  produce 
an  exactly  different  effect.     A  contest  which  is  so 
soon  to  be  repeated  loses  half  its  interest  by  famili- 
anty.     Vast  numbers  of  electors  are  content  to  be 
lookers-on,  rarely  approaching  a  poll,  except  to  vote 
on  some  question  of  pecuHar  concern.    The  struggle 
IS  generally  whether  A  or  B  shall  enjoy  the  temporary 
honour  or  the  trifljjgg  emolument  in  dispute,  the  com- 
munity seldom  being  muclTthe  better  or  the  worse 
for  the  choice.    People  talk  of  the  fluctuatic  iis  which 
are  necessarily  the  consequences  of  a  p  ^ular  l,ov- 
ernment.     They  do  not  understand  what  they  say 
Every  other  enlightened  nation  of  the  earth  is  at  thi 
moment  divided  between  great  opposing  principles ; 
whereas  here,  if  we  except  the  trijfling  collisions  of 
pecuniary  interests,  every  body  is  of  the  same  mind, 
except  as  to  the  ordinarily  immaterial  question  of  a 
choice  between  men.   We  have  settled  all  the  formi- 
dable points  of  policy,  by  conceding  every  thing  that 
any  reasonable  iiian  can  ask.   i  he  only  danger  which 
exists  to  the  duration  of  our  confederacy  (and  that  is 
not  a  question  of  a  form  of  government,  but  one  of 


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268 


EXTENDED  CORRUPTION  IMPOSSIBLE. 


mere  policy),  proceeds  from  the  little  that  is  aristo- 
cratical  in  our  Union.  The  concentrated  power  of 
a  State  may  become,  like  the  overgrown  power  of  an 
individual,  dangerous  tc  our  harmony;  though  we 
think,  and  with  very  good  reason,  that,  on  the  whole, 
even  this  peculiarity  adds  to  the  durability  of  the 
Union. 

"  It  is  unnecessary  to  say,  that  so  far  as  mere  conve- 
nience goes,  this  method  of  election  can  be  practised 
by  a  hundred  millions  of  people,  as  easily  as  by 
twelve.  As  to  corruption,  comparatively  speaking, 
it  cannot  exist.  No  man  can  buy  a  state,  a  county, 
or  even  a  town.  In  a  hotly  contested  election,  it  is 
certainly  som.etimes  practicable  to  influence  votes 
enough  to  turn  the  scale ;  but,  unless  the  question  in- 
volve the  peculiar  interests  of  the  less  fortunate  class 
of  society,  it  is  clear  both  parties  can  bribe  alike,  and 
then  the  evil  corrects  itself.  If  the  question  be  one 
likely  to  unite  the  interests  and  the  prejudices  of  the 
humbler  classes,  nine  times  in  ten  it  is  both  more 
humane  and  wiser  that  they  should  prevail.  That 
sort  of  splendid  and  treacherous  policy,  which  gives 
a  fallacious  lustre  to  a  nation  by  oppressing  those 
who  have  the  most  need  of  support,  is  manifestly  as 
unwise  as  it  is  unjust.  It  violates  the  very  principles 
of  the  compact,  since  governments  are  not  formed  to 
achieve,  but  to  protect.  After  a  sufficient  force  has 
been  obtained  to  effect  the  first  great  objects  of  the 
association,  the  governed,  and  not  the  governors,  are 
the  true  agents  in  every  act  of  national  prosperity. 
Look  at  America.  What  people,  or  what  monarch, 
if  you  will,  has  done  half  so  much  as  we  have  done, 
(compared  to  our  means,)  in  the  last  half  century, 
and  precisely  for  the  reason  that  the  government  is 
obliged  to  content  itself  with  protection,  or,  at  the 

mr\oi'      i«r.4-Vk      ^l>n^     ^»«I«^_«^^      ...L'^l.       •—      j-I _.       J  i 

X11V3J-,   t-ritia    viiai,    ussiBiiiiiUC    VVHICII,    III    liJC    UaiUFe    OI 

things,  strictly  r'^'raires  a  concentrated  action. 
"  It  is  of  far  less  importance,  according  to  our  no* 


THE  AMERICANS   ARE  REFORMERS.  269 

tions,  what  the  executive  of  a  nation  is  called,  than 
that  all  classes  should  have  a  direct  influence  on  its 
pohcj.  We  have  no  king,  it  is  true,  for  the  word 
carries  with  it,  to  our  ears,  an  idea  of  expenditure; 
but  we  have  a  head,  who,  for  the  time  being,  has  a 
very  reasonable  portion  of  power.  We  are  not  ieal- 
ous  of  him,  for  we  have  taken  good  care  he  shall  do 
no  naiTn. 

"Though  we  are  glad  to  find  that  principles  which 
we  have  practised,  and  under  which  we  have  pros- 
pered so  long,  are  coming  more  in  fashion  in  Europe, 
I  think  you  must  do  us  the  justice  to  say,  that  we  are 
not  a  nation  much  addicted  to  the  desire  of  prose- 
lyting.   For  ourselves  we  have  no  fears,  and  as  for 
other  people,  if  they  make  some  faint  imitations  of 
our  system,  and  then  felicitate  themselves  on  their 
progress,  we  are  well  content  they  should  have  all 
the  merit  of  inventors.     That  is  a  miserable  rivalry, 
which  would  make  a  monopoly  of  happiness.  I  think 
as  a  people,  we  rather  admire  you  most  when  we  see 
you  advancing  with  moderation  to  your  object,  than 
when  we  hear  of  the  adoption  of  sudden  and  violent 
means.     We  have  ever  been  reformers  rather  than 
revolutionists.     Our  own  struggle  for  independence 
was  not  m  Its  aspect  a  revolution.     We  contrived  to 
!  uu     ^u   ^^^  "^'Snity  of  a  war,  from  the  first  blow. 
Although  our  generals  and  soldiers  might  not  have 
been  so  well  trained  as  those  they  fought  against,  they 
were  far  more  humane,  considerate,  and,  in  the  end, 
successful,  than  their  adversaries.  Our  own  progress 
has  been  gradual.     It  is  not  long  since  a  trifling  re- 
striction existed  on  the  suffrage  of  this  very  State 
Experience  proved  that  it  excluded  quite  as  many 
discreet  men  as  its  removal  would  admit  of  vaga- 
bonds.     Now  It  is  the  distinguishing  feature  of  our 
poiicy,  liiat  we  consider  man  a  reasonable  being,  and 
hat  we  rather  court,  than  avoid,  the  struggle  be- 
tween Ignorance  and  intelligence.     We  find  that  this 

Aa  2 


r 


270 


THE  AMERICANS  INVITE  CHANGE. 


policy  rarely  fails  to  assure  the  victory  of  the  latter, 
while  it  keeps  down  its  baneful  monopolies.  We 
extended  the  suffrage  to  include  every  body,  and 
while  complaint  is  removed,  we  find  no  difference  in 
the  representation.  As  yet,  it  is  rather  an  improve- 
ment. Should  it  become  an  evil,  however,  we  shall 
find  easy  and  moderate  means  to  change  it,  since  we 
are  certain  that  a  majority  will  be  sufficiently  saga- 
cious to  know  their  own  interests.  You  have  only 
to  convince  us  that  it  is  the  best  government,  and  we 
will  become  an  absolute  monarchy  to-morro.w.  It  is 
wonderful  how  prone  we  are  to  adopt  that  which 
expectation  induces  us  to  think  will  be  expedient, 
and  to  reject  that  which  experience  teaches  us  is  bad. 
It  must  be  confessed  that,  so  far,  all  our  experiments 
have  been  in  favour  of  democracy.  I  very  well 
know  that  you  in  Europe  prophesy  that  our  career 
will  end  in  monarchy.  To  be  candid,  your  prophe- 
cies excite  but  little  feeling  here,  since  we  have  taken 
up  the  opinion  you  don't  very  well  understand  the 
subject.  But  should  it  prove  true,  a  la  bonne  heme; 
when  we  find  that  form  of  government  best,  depend 
on  it,  we  shall  not  hesitate  to  adopt  it.  You  are  at 
perfect  liberty,  if  you  will,  to  establish  a  journal  in 
favour  of  despotism  under  the  windows  of  the  Capi- 
tol. I  will  not  promise  you  much  patronage  at  first, 
neither  do  I  think  you  will  be  troubled  with  much 
serious  opposition.  At  all  events,  there  is  nothing  in 
the  law  to  molest  the  speculation.  Now  look  behind 
you  at  the  "poll"  we  have  just  left;  reflect  on  this 
fact,  and  then  draw  your  conclusions,  of  our  own 
opinion,  of  the  stability  of  our  institutions.  We  may 
deceive  ourselves,  but  you  of  Europe  must  exhibit  a 
far  more  accurate  knowledge  of  the  state  of  our 
country,  before  we  shall  rely  on  your  crude  prognos- 
tics rather  than  on  our  own  experienrp," 

I  could  scarcely  assure  myself  tliat  Cadvvallader 
was  not  laughing  at  me  during  a  good  deal  of  the  time 


f  the  latter, 
>olies.     We 

body,  and 
lifference  in 
m  improve- 
gr,  we  shall 
it,  since  we 
iently  saga- 
i  have  only 
ent,  and  we 
rrow.  ^  It  is 
that  which 

expedient, 
Bs  us  is  bad. 
ixperiments 

very  well 
our  career 
)ur  prophe- 
have  taken 
Drstand  the 
mne  heure  ; 
est,  depend 
ii'^ou  are  at 
journal  in 
f  the  Capi- 
age  at  first, 
with  much 

nothing  in 
ook  behind 
lect  on  this 
f  our  own 
.  We  may 
5t  exhibit  a 
ite  of  our 
le  prognos- 


OBSTINACY  OF  THE  AMERICANS. 


271 


he  was  speaking,  but  after  all,  it  must  be  confessed 
there  is  some  common  sense  in  what  he  said.  There 
were  three  or  four  other  passengers  in  the  stage,  men 
of  decent  and  sober  exterior,  among  whom  I  detected 
certain  interchanges  of  queer  glances,  though  none 
of  them  appeared  to  think  the  subject  of  any  very 
engrossing  interest.  Provoked  at  their  unreasonable 
indifference  to  a  theme  so  delightful  as  liberty,  I  asked 
one  of  them  "  If  he  did  not  apprehend  there  would 
be  an  end  to  tlie  republic,  should  General  Jackson 
become  the  next  President  ? "  "I  rather  think  not," 
was  his  deliberate,  and  somewhat  laconic  answer. 
"  Why  not  ?  he  is  a  soldier,  and  a  man  of  ambition." 
My  unmoved  yeoman  did  not  care  to  dispute  either 
of  these  qualities,  but  he  still  perse>  .red  in  thinking 
there  was  not  much  danger,  since  "  he  did  ^lot  know 
any  one  in  his  neighbourhood  who  was  much  disposed 
to  help  a  man  in  such  a.  undertaking." 

\i  is  provoking  to  find  a  whole  nation  dwelling  in 
this  species  of  alarming  security,  for  no  ot'ier  region 
than  that  their  vulgar  and  every-day  practices  teach 
them  to  rely  on  themselves,  instead  trusting  to  the 
rational  inferences  of  philanthropic  theorists,  who 
have  so  long  been  racking  their  ingenuity  to  demon- 
strate that  a  condition  of  society  which  has  delusively 
endured  for  nearly  two  hundred  years,  has  been  in 
existence  all  that  time  in  direct  opposition  to  the 
legitimate  deductions  of  the  science  of  government. 


adwallader 
of  the  time 


(     272     ) 

TO  SIR  EDWARD  WALLER,  BART, 

£fc.  Sfc. 


r 


■i  1 

'if 


.;'( 


m 


f  1  "  i« 


Philadelphia, 

SrNCE  my  last  letter,  I  have  visited  New- Jersey 
khe  eastern  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  and   Delaware, 
With  the  exception  of  Maine,  Illinois,  and  Indiana, 
(quite  new  States,)  I  have  now  seen  something  of  all 
those  communities,  which,  in  common  parlance,  are 
called  the  "  free  States,"  in  contradistinction  to  those 
which   still    encourage   the  existence   o(  domestic 
slavery.     As  respects  this  material  point  of  policy, 
the  confederation  is  nearly  equally  divided  in  the 
number  of  States,  thirteen  having  virtually  gotten  rid 
of  slavery,  and  eleven  still  adhering  to  the  system. 
The  difference  between  the  white  population,  how- 
ever, is  vastly  more  in  favour  of  the  "free  States." 
We  shall  not  be  far  out  of  the  way,  in  stating  the 
whole  of  the  white  population  of  the  United  States 
at  a  little  more  than  ten  millions.     Of  this  number, 
near,  if  not  quite,  seven  millions  are  contained  in  the 
thirteen  northern,  middle,  and  north-westeni  States. 
This  portion  of  the  Union  is  governed  by  the  same 
policy,  and  its  inhabitants  seek  their  prosperity  in  the 
same  sources  of  wealth  and  in  the  same  spirit  of  im- 
provement.   More  than  half  of  them  are  either  natives 
of  New-England,  or  are  descended  from  those  who 
were  born  in  that  district  of  the  country.     Together, 
the  States  I  have  named  cover  a  surface  of  little  less 
than  300,000  square  miles.   If  the  territory  of  Michi- 
gan be  included,  (which  is  not  yet  sufficiently  popu- 
lous to  be  a  State,)  the  amount  will  be  swelled  to 
near  330,000.     The  former  will  give  rather  more 
than  twenty-three  to  the  square  mile,  as  the  rate  of 
the  whole  population  on  the  whole  surface.     But  in 


POPULATION  FAVOURABLE   TO  LIBERTY.  273 

making  the  estimate,  what  1  have  already  said  of  the 

Jnl\l7''VY  ''"  "^^  P^^P*^^  ^^  ^*'' ^»«t  be  kept 
in  view.     Perhaps  one  third  of  the  territory  should 

be  excluded  from  the  calculation  altogether.     This 

would  leave  something  more  than  thirty  to  the  square 

s",  Ji W  ^1  ^''^'^^•^-  •  ^"*  ^^^"  ^^'^  esti'nate  is  neces- 
sarily delusive,  as  It  is  known  that  in  the  old  States 
there  are  sixty  and  seventy  souls  to  the  square  mile, 
and  m  some  parts  of  them  many  more 

In  the  course  of  reflection  on  this  subject,  I  have 
been  led  to  inquire  when  these  republics  are  to  reach 
that  ratio  of  population  which,  of  necessity,  is  to 
conipel  them  to  adapt  their  institutions  to  the  usages 
o   ii^uropean  policy.     The  result  is  not  quite  so  con- 
elusive  as  one  might  at  first  be  disposed  to  believe.    I 
hnd  Uiat  despotism  flourishes  with  little  or  no  oppo- 
sition in  Russia,  a  country  of  about  twenty-five  to  the 
square  mile;  m  Turkey,  one  of  about  fifty;*  in  Spain 
one  of,  say  sixty;  in  Denmark,  one  of  about  eighty,' 
&c  &c.;  and  that  liberty  is  beginning  to  thrivl,  or 
nnl"*"!    •    r^^V?"  ,E»§*^nd,  one  of  more  than  two 
hundred;  in  the  Netherlands,  one  of  an  equal  rate; 
and,  m  short,  m  France,  in  several  of  the  most  popu- 
lous  states  of  Germany,  some  of  which  mount  as 
high  as  six  and  nine  hundred  to  the  square  mile,  more 
particularly  the  free  towns  I 

Here  is  pretty  clear  evidence,  by  that  unanswer- 
able  argument-fact,  that  the  populousness  of  a 
country  ,s  not  necessarily  to  control  the  freedom  or 
despotism  of  ,ts  institutions.  But  the  United  States 
have  earned  the  freedom  of  their  institutions  too  far 
bince  they  go  much  farther  than  we  have  ever  found 
it  wise  or  safe  to  go  in  Europe.  England  herself  has 
stopped  short  of  such  excessive  freedom.  The  latter 
fh?^!i?i?  ''  ^^^ta»"Jy  "^uch  nearer  to  the  truth  than 
'-'-'    ■'"'  J^"-  "  ^^c  snuuiu  assemoie  even  the 

*  Both  in  Europe. 


iir< 


274 


AN  ARGUMENT   IN  THE   CLUB. 


*f  .•' 


-  *  • 


F.  .1   ffl 


travelled  brethren  of  our  own  club,  and  put  the  ques- 
tion to  them — "How  far  do  you  think  tljat  liberty 
and  equality  of  political  rights  can  be  carried  in  a 
government,  without  danger  to  its  foundations  ?" — it 
would  be  seen  that  the  replies  would  smack  a  little 
of  the  early  impressions  of  the  different  worthies  who 
compose  the  fraternity.  Let  us  fancy  ourselves  for  a 
moment  in  solemn  conclave  on  this  knotty  point, 
and  we  will  endeavour  to  anticipate  the  different 
answers.  We  will  begin  with  the  Prince  Andre 
KutmynoseandeyesofT. 

"  I  am  of  opinion,"  says  our  accomplished,  intelli- 
gent, and  loyal  prince,  "  that  without  a  vast  standing 
army,  a  nation  can  neither  secure  its  frontiers,  nor 
on  occasion  bring  them  properly  within  a  ring  fence. 
In  what  manner  is  a  serf  to  be  made  to  respect  his 
lord,  unless  he  see  that  the  latter  can  enforce  his 
rights  by  having  recourse  to  the  bayonet,  or  in  what 
manner  is  even  rank  among  ourselves  to  be  regulated, 
without  a  common  centre  whence  it  must  flow  ?  It 
would  be  utterly  impossible  to  keep  an  empire  com- 
posed of  subjects  born  in  the  arctic  circle  and  sub- 
jects born  on  the  Caspian,  men  speaking  different 
languages,  and  worshipping  Jesus  and  Mahomet,  to- 
gether, without  such  a  concentration  of  power  as 
shall  place  each  in  salutary  fear  of  the  ruler.  It  is 
quite  clear  that  a  nation  without  a  vast  standing 

army " 

"  I  beg  pardon  for  the  interruption,  mon  Prince," 
cries  Professor  Jansen :  "  I  agree  with  you  in  toto^ 
except  as  to  the  army.  Certainly  no  spectacle  is 
more  beautiful  than  that  of  a  kind  and  benevolent 
monarch,  dwellii^g  in  the  midst  of  his  people  like  a 
father  in  the  bosom  of  a  vast  family,  and  at  once  the 
source  of  order  and  the  fountain  of  honour.  Still  I 
can  see  no  great  use  in  an  ovei^rown  army,  which 
infallibly  leads  to  a  waste  of  money  and  a  mispend- 
ing  of  time.     Soldiers  are  unquestionably  necessary 


DIFFERENCE    IN    OPINIONS. 


275 


lut  the  ques- 
ttiat  liberty 
carried  in  a 
itions  ?" — it 
nack  a  little 
orthies  who 
rselves  for  a 
dotty  point, 
le  different 
ince  Andre 

ihed,  intelli- 
ast  standing 
ontiers,  nor 
L  ring  fence, 
respect  his 
enforce  his 
or  in  what 
e  regulated, 
it  flow  ?  It 
mpire  com- 
le  and  sub- 
ig  different 
ahomet,  to- 
r  power  as 
uler.  It  is 
st  standing 

m  Prince/* 

you.  in  toto^ 
pectacle  is 
benevolent 
opie  like  a 
it  once  the 
iir.  Still  I 
my,  which 
a  mispend- 
^  necessary 


to  prevent  invasion  or  aggression,  and  to  be  in  readi- 
ness  to  look  down  any  sudden  attempts  at  revolutioi^ 
but  they  are  dangerous  and  extravagant  playthings. 
When  a  sovereign  begins  to  stir  his  battalions  as  he 
does  his  chess-men,  one  can  never  calculate  what 
move  he  means  to  make  next ;  and  as  to  rank,  what 
can  be  more  venerable  or  more  noble  than  the  class 
of  Counts,  for  instance— ["  Hear,  hear,"  from  Sir 
Edward  Waller]— a  set  of  nobles  who  hold  so  happy 
and  so  respected  an  intermediate  station  between  the 
prince  and  his  people  ?     That  is  clearly  the  happiest 
government  in  the  whole  world,  where  the  labour  of 
ruling  is  devolved  on  one  man :  but  I  shall  always 
protest  against  the  wisdom  of  a  large  standing  army." 
"  Quant  a  moi,''  observes  the  colonel,  making  an 
apologetic  bow,  "  I  cannot  agree  with  either  the  one 
or  the  other.    An  army  before  all  things,  but  no  des- 
pot ;  and,  least  of  all,  a  despot  who  does  nothing  but 
stay  at  home  and  vegetate  on  his  throne.     If  I  must 
have  an  absolute  monarch,  King  Stork  any  day  to 
King  Log.     In  my  youth,  I  will   confess,  certain 
visions  of  glory  floated  before  my  eyes,  and  conquest 
appeared  the  best  good  of  life ;  but  time  and  hart 
service  have  weakened  these  impressions,  and  I  can 
now  plainly  perceive  all  the  advantages  of  La  Cfiarte, 
In  a  constitutional  monarchy,  one  can  enjoy  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  despotism  without  any  of  its  disadvan- 
tages.    You  have  an  army  to  vindicate  the  national 
honour,  as  ready,  as  brave,  and  as  efficient,  as  though 
the  power  of  its  head  were  unlimited ;  and  yet  you 
have  not  the  constant  danger  of  lettres  de  cachet^  bas- 
tiles,  and  monks.     By  a  judicious  division  of  estates, 
those  odious  monopolies,  which  have  so  fatal  a  ten- 
dency to  aristocracy " 

"  If  you  stop  there,  dear  Jules,"  interrupts  a  cer- 


■  "til 


vYc  suaii 


be  in  the  ma- 


jority, and  the  question  is  our  own.    Nothing  can  be 
more  dangerous  than  a  despotism,  every  one  must 


ifi 


t\ 


?  ^ 


S 


276 


SHADES    IN    REASONING. 


allow  "  (though  two  worthy  members  had  just  held 
the  contrary  doctrine.)  "  But  you  are  touching  on 
the  very  thing  now,  that  must  unavoidably  prove  fatal 
to  your  monarchy,  la  charte,  and  all,  since  it  is  clear, 
that  a  monarch  needs  the  support  of  an  aristocracy, 
and  an  aristocracy  is  nothing  without  money. — An 
enlightened,  unpaid,  disinterested  gentry,  who  pos- 
sess all  the  property " 

'  Money !'  echoes  the  colonel,  in  heat ;  "  it  is  that 
money  which  is  the  curse  of  you  English.  You  have 
it  all,  and  yet  you  see  you  are  hourly  in  terror  of 
bankruptcy.  Thank  God,  if  the  Revolution  has  done 
nothing  else,  it  has  cut  up  root  and  branch  all  our 
odious  seignories,  with  their  feudal  follies ;  and  man 
now  begins  to  think  himself  the  owner  of  the  soil,  and 
not  a  plant." 

"  Nay,  my  dear  Bethizy,  keep  your  temper ;  you 
are  not  now  storming  the  bridge  of  Lodi.  Reflect 
one  moment ;  what  will  become  of  France  when  her 
whole  territory  shall  be  subdivided  in  freeholds  not 
bigger  than  a  pocket-handkerchief?" 

"  And  your  island !  what  will  the  poor  devils  of 

paupers  do  when  Lord shall  own  the  whole 

island  ?" 

*  "  I  think,"  observes  the  abbate,  perceiving  that  the 
argument  is  likely  to  wax  hot,  "  that  it  is  a  question 
that  will  admit  of  much  to  be  said  on  both  sides, 
whether  a  people  will  leave  more  lasting  and  brilliant 
recollections,  if  their  career  has  been  run  under  a  re- 
publican or  n  monarchical  form  of  government.  In 
Italy,  we  find  arguments  to  maintain  both  positions ; 
though  at  present  we  are  somewhat  divided  between 
a  hierarchy  and  such  minute  geographical  divisions 
as  shall  insure  a  close  inspection  into  the  interests  of 
all  who  have  any  right  at  all  to  be  consulted  in  these 
matters.  I  can  neither  agree  with  the  prince,  nor 
with  the  professor,  nor  with  the  Count,  nor  yet  with 
Sir  Edward,  though  I  think  all  of  us  must  be  of 


A    REPLY. 


277 


opinion  that  a  popular  government  is  a  thing  qiiit<f 
impracticable."  6  i    ^^ 

"  Oh  !  an,  all,  all,  all." 

"It  is  quite  certain  that  your  Lazzaroni  would 
scarcely  know  what  to  do  with  political  power  if 
they  had  it,"  continues  the  abbate. 

"  Nor  a  serf,"  says  the  Prince. 

«  I  can  see  no  use  in  giving  it  even  to  a  Count," 
mutters  the  Dane. 

"Nor  to  a  Manchester  reformer,"  puts  in  Sir 
Edward.  '^ 

"  It  is  quite  certain  the  canatile  do  riot  know  how 
to  use  It,"  adds  Jules  B6thizy,  with  a  melancholy 
sigh  ;  and  so  the  question  is  disposed  of. 

Now,if  my  friend  Cadwallader  were  a  member  of 
the  club  (and  I  hope  to  live  long  enough  to  see  the 
day  when  he  shall  become  orie,)  he  might  give  a  very 
different  opinion  from  them  all.     Let  us  imagine,  for 
an  instant,  what  would  be  the  nature  of  his  arcument. 
He  would  probably  say,  that,  "  my  countrymen  have 
taken  care  there  shall  be  neither  Lazzaroni,  nor  serf, 
(he  might  gag  a  little  at  the  thought  of  the  blacks,)* 
nor  Counts,^  nor  Manchester  reformers ;   and  any 
opmions  which  may  be  formed  on  premises  of  this 
nature  are,  m  consequence,     terly  inapplicable  to  us. 
1  dare  say  the  abbate  will  ,  ery  willingly  admit,  that 
it  there  were  nothing  but  cardinals  in  Italy,  a  popular 
govemment  would  do  very  well ;  and  perhaps  Sir 
Edward  will  allow  if  the  English  population  were  all 
baronets  of  seven  thousand  a  year,  the  elective  fran- 
chise might  be  extended  even  in  his  kingdom  without 
any  very  imminent  danger.  It  is  wonderful  how  very 
difficult  it  is  to  make  men  comprehend  that  a  thing 


*  It  is  manifestly  unsafe  to  found  anv  ar»nmonts  /.«««-• »J«« 
tae  political  institutions  of  this  countrj  on  the  existence  "of 
slavery,  since  the  slaves  have  no  more  to  do  with  ffovemment  than 
inanimate  objects. 

Vol.  I  B  b 


278 


A    REPLY, 


§^  '4 


I  if 


f  ^      ''I 

m-^-  'II 


%  . 


een  Be  done  by  any  one  else,  which  they  have  lonj^ 
been  used  to  consider  as  exceeding  their  own  abilit) 
to  perform.  This  feeling  of  selfishness^  or  of  vanity, 
whichever  you  please,  insinuates  itself  into  all  our 
actions,  and  finally  warps  our  opipions,  and  obscures 
our  judgments. 

"  I  do  not  believe  it  is  in  the  power  of  man  to 
make  a  Turk  comprehend  the  nature  of  English 
liberty ;  simply  because,  when  he  looks  around  him» 
and  sees  the  state  of  society  in  which  he  himself  vege- 
tates, he  can  neither  understand  the  energy  of  char- 
acter which  requires  such  latitude  for  its  exertion, 
nor  the  state  of  things  which  can  possibly  render  it 
safe.  It  appears  to  me,  that  it  is  very  nearly  as  diffi- 
cult to  make  an  Englishman  comprehend  that  it  is 
very  possible  for  a  people  to  prosper  under  a  degree  of 
liberty  still  greater  than  that  he  enjoys.  His  self-love, 
his  prejudices,  and  his  habits  are  all  opposed  to  the 
admission.  Experience  and  fact  go  for  nothing.  He 
is  determined  there  shall  be  some  drawback  to  all 
the  seeming  prosperity  of  a  state  of  things  which  ex 
ceeds  his  own  notions  of  the  sources  whence  pros- 
perity ought  to  flow ;  and  though  he  may  not  be  suf- 
ficiently conversant  with  the  details  to  lay  his  finger 
on  the  sore  spot,  he  is  quite  confident  there  must  be 
one.  He  swears  it  is  festering,  and  that  by-and-bye 
we  shall  hear  something  of  it  worth  knowing.  I  re- 
member once  to  have  conversed  with  a  renowned 
English  statesman  on  this  very  subject.  He  was  suf- 
ficiently complimentary  on  the  institutions  of  my 
country,  and  on  the  character  of  my  countrymen,  but 
we  were  neither  of  us  the  dupes  of  such  simple 
courtesy.  I  believe  he  did  me  the  justice  to  see  that 
I  understood  him,  for  he  very  soon  took  occasion  to 
remark  that  he  should  like  the  government  of  the 
United  States  better  if  it  were  a  '  Frank  Republic,'' 
Perceiving  that  I  looked  surprised,  and  possibly  un 
derstanding  the  expression  of  my  countenance  to  sav 


f.| 


fmve  loHfi 
wn  abilit) 
of  vanity, 
to  all  our 
I  obscures 

of  man  to 
>f  English 
ound  him» 
iself  vege- 
y  of  char- 
exertion, 
render  it 
rly  as  diffi- 
l  that  it  is 
I  degree  of 
8  self-love, 
sed  to  the 
thing.  He 
>ack  to  all 
which  ex 
ence  pros- 
riot  be  suf- 
f  his  finger 
re  must  be 
Dy-and-bye 
ing.  1  re- 
renowned 
[e  was  suf- 
ms  of  my 
[•ymen,  but 
ich  simple 
to  see  that 
ccasion  to 
ent  of  the 
Republic,'' 
ossibly  un 
.nee  to  sav 


THE    OPIVION    Of    A    STATESMAN. 


279 


how  much  1  wondered  that  a  man  of  his  experience 
should  expect  great  frankness  in  any  government,  he 
went  on  to  explain ;  » I  mean,'  he  continued,  *  that  I 
should  like  your  government  better,  if  there  were  no 
pageant  of  a  head,  and  if  Congress  would  act  for  itself 
directly,  without  the  intervention  of  a  President ' 

This  convereation  occurred  shortly  after  tl.  Senate 
ot  the  United  States  had  rejected  a  treaty  with  Great 
Britain,  which  the  President  had  made  (throuph  the 
public  minister),  and  which  the  King  of  Great  Britain 
had  oreviously  ratified.  '  Hinc  ilia  lachry  met:  Icon- 
lined  my  answer  to  a  simple  observation,  that  the 
actual  power  of  the  President  was  very  little,  but 
that  we  should  unnecessarily  impede  the  execution 
ot  the  laws,  and  embarrass  our  intercourse  with  for- 
eign nations,  by  abolishing  the  office,  which  added 
greatly  to  the  convenience  of  the  country,  without  in 
the  slightest  degree  invading  or  endangering  the  lib- 
erties of  the  people. 

Now,  what  was  the  amount  of  the  argument  which 
this  gifted  man  agitated  in  his  own  mind,  on  a  subject 
60  important  to  the  policy  of  a  great  nation  ?  He  could 
understand  that  a  right  might  exist  somewhere  to 
annul  the  bargain  of  a  minister,  for  in  his  proper 
person  he  had  iust  before  refused  to  ratify  a  treaty 
made  by  one  of  his  own  agents,*  but  he  could  not 
understand  that  this  power  should,  or  could,  with 
propriety,  be  lodged  in  hands  where  he  was  not  ac- 
customed to  see  it.     Napoleon  would  have  told  him 
that  he  himself  submitted  to  a  thousand  vain  and  re- 
strictive regulations,  which  only  tended  to  embarrass 
Ills  operations  and  to  lessen  his  influence  abroad. 

Again,  it  is  quite  common  for  the  American  to 
gather  m  discourse  with  Englishmen,  either  by  inu- 
endoes,  or  direct  assertions,  that  there  is  little  or  no 
religion  m  his  country!  Nine  times  in  ten,  the  former 


*  With  Mexico. 


m 


8Q0  A    FALSE    IDEA. 

is  content  to  l&ugh  in  his  sleeve  at  what  he  terms  t]bije 
egri^ous  ignorance  of  his  relative ;  or  perhaps  he 
makes  a  circle  of  friends  merrv  by  enumerating  this 
instance,  among  fifty  others,  of  the  jaundiced  views 
that  the  folks  on  the  homestead  take  of  the  condition 
of  those  who  have  wandered  beyond  the  paternal 
estate.  Bi^t  should  he  be  tempted  to  probe  the  feel- 
ing (I  will  not  call  it  reason)  which  induces  so  many 
warm-^iearted,  arid  kindly  intentioned  individuals  in 
the  mother  country,  to  entertain  a  notion  so  unjust, 
not  to  say  so  uncharitable,  of  their  fellow-Christians, 
under  another  rigime,  he  will  find  that  it  is  in  truth 
bottomed  on  no  other  foundation  than  the  circum- 
stance that  we  have  no  established  church.  And  yet 
it  is  a  known  fact  that  the  peculiar  faith  of  England, 
is  in  America  on  the  comparative  increase,  and  that 
in  En^and  itself,  it  is  on  a  comparative  decrease,  one 
half  of  the  whole  population  being  at  this  moment, 
if  I  am  rightly  irformed,  dissenters  from  the  very 
church  they  think  so  nepe^^ary  to  rel^ion,  morals, 
find  order.  In  America,  we  think  the  change  in  the 
latter  country  is  owing  to  the  establishment  itself; 
and  the  change  in  our  own,  to  the  fact  that  men  are 
always  willing  to  acknowledige  the  iperits  of  any  thing 
which  is  not  too  violently  obtruded  on  their  notice. 
We  may  be  wrong,  and  so  may  they ;  but  if  the  fact 
were  only  half  as  well  authenticated  as  is  the  one 
that  we  are  competent  to  maintain  our  present  politi- 
cal institutions,  I  should  consider  it  a  question  not 
worth  the  trouble  of  discussion." 

That  Cadwallader  would  use  some  such  manner 
of  reply  I  know,  for  the  anecdote  of  his  conversation 
with  the  English  statesman  (now  unhappily  no  more) 
I  have  actually  heard  him  mention.  I  confess  the 
justice  of  many  of  his  remarks,  for  I  am  perfectly 
conscious  of  having^  been  the  subject  of  a  great  many 
of  these  vague  and  general  conjectures  on  American 
policy ;  but  a  closer  observation  of  the  actual  state 


terms  tjbie 
erhaps  he 
rating  this 
ced  views 

condition 
3  paternal 
e  the  feel- 
s  so  many 
ividuals  in 
so  unjust, 
Christians, 
is  in  truth 
e  circum- 
r  And  yet 
[  England, 
,  and  that 
rease,  one 
i  moment, 

the  very 
n,  morals, 
nge  in  the 
ent  itself; 
it  men  are 
'  any  thing 
iir  notice, 
if  &e  fact 
5  the  one 
sent  poUti- 
estion  not 

h  manner 
nversation 

no  more) 
onfess  the 

perfectly 
reat  many 
American 
:tual  state 


i>ftj£JUD!dfi. 


!.■; 


^81 


of  the  country  is  gradually  forcing  me  to  different 
conclusions.    The  more  candid  European  will  admit 
that  a  vast  number  of  our  usages  and  institution*  ow6 
their  existence,  at  the  present  hour,  to  prejudice. 
Now,  IS  It  not  possible  that  prejudice  may  have  quite 
as  active  an  agency  in  keeping  down  aristocracy,  as 
m  keeping  it  up?  It  is  perfectly  absurd  to  say,  that 
It  IS  an  ordering  of  nature;  for  nature,  so  far  from 
decreeing  that  the  inequality  of  her  gifts  is  to  be  per- 
petuated  in  a  direct  male  line,  and  in  conformity  to 
the  rights  of  primogeniture,  is  commonly  content  with 
visiting  a  single  family  with  h(     jmiles,  ut  long  inter- 
vals, and  with  a  very  unequal  bounty.     So  far  as 
nature  is  concerned,  then,  she  is  diametrically  opposed 
to  the  perpetuation  of  power  or  consideration  m  the 
regular  descent.    Neither  talents,  nor  physical  force, 
nor  courage,  nor  beauty,  k  often  continued  long  in 
any  one  race.    But  men  do  get,  and  do  keep  too,  the 
control  of  things  in  their  own  families,  in  most  of  the 
countries  of  tne  earth.    iTiis  is  a  practical  argument, 
which  it  will  he  found  difficult  to  controvert.     Jt  is 
precisely  for  this  reason  that  I  begin  to  think  the 
people  of  the  United  States  will  not  soon  part  with 
the  power  of  which  they  are  at  present  in  such  abso- 
lute possessioi '.   But  knowledge  you  will  say  is  power, 
and  knowledge  is  confined  to  the  few.    I  am  inclined 
to  think,  after  all,  that  the  degree  of  knowledge  which 
IS  necessary  to  make  a  man  obstinate  in  the  defence 
of  rights  which  he  has  been  educated  to  believe  in- 
herent, is  far  from  being  very  profound.     It  is  well 
known  that  despots  have  often  failed  in  attempts  on 
the  personal  privileges  of  their  subjects.    Paul  could 
send  a  pnnce  to  Siberia,  but  he  could  not  make  a 
Boyar  shave.    Now,  the  rights  of  suffrage,  of  perfect 
political  equality,  of  freedom  in  religion,  and  of  all 

other    nAlifiral    nrivilAor/ia     tir<i    fV»o    k<^.«..Jo    ^r   4.\ 

""     r -: —     r* b"^^^    ■'■"■<-'     '•tit-/     ui^aixxs    \ji     i,:iCoC 

people.     It  will  be  excessively  hazardous  to  attempt 
to  shorten  them  by  a  hair.     The  ornaments  of  the 

Bb2 


1^83 


PERPETUITY  or  THE  INSTITUTIONS, 


chin  are  not  more  effectually  a  gift  of  nature,  than 
are  the  political  privileges  of  the  American  bis  birth- 
right. Great  as  is  the  power  of  the  English  aristoc- 
racy, there  are  limits  to  its  exercise,  as  you  very  well 
l^now,  and  any  man  can  predict  a  revolution,  should 
m^ej  attempt  to  exceed  them.  I  fancy  the  only  dif- 
ference between  the  mother  and  child  m  this  particu- 
lar is,  that  the  latter,  so  far  as  political  rights  go,  has 
rather  a  richer  inheritance  than  the  former.  Time 
has  cleariy  little  to  do  with  the  matter  beyond  the 
date  of  our  individual  existence,  since  a  human  life 
is  quite  long  enough  to  get  thoroughly  obstinate  opin- 
ions on  any  subject,  even  though  prejudice  should  be 
their  basis. 

From  this  familiar  and  obvious  manner  of  reason- 
ing (and  I  think  it  will  be  found  to  contain  a  fair  pro- 
portion of  the  truth)  it  would  seem  to  result  that 
there  is  quite  as.  little  likelihood  the  American  will 
lose  any  of  his  extreme  liberty,  as  that  the  Dutch- 
man, the  Frenchman,  or  the  Englisliman,  will  lose 
any  great  portion  of  that  which  he  now  enjoys. 
The  question  is  then  narrowed  tp  the  use  the  former 
will  make  of  his  power. 

The  past  speaks  for  itself,  and  in  language  suffi- 
ciently plain  for  any  man  to  comprehend,  who  is  not 
obstinately  bent  on  refusing  credit  to  institutions  to 
which  he  is  unaccustomed.  The  future  is  necessarily, 
in  some  degree,  matter  of  conjecture ;  but  in  order  to 
anticipate  it  with  an  approach  to  accuracy,  we  will 
continue  our  investigation  of  facts. 

You  are  already  master  of  my  opinions  on  the 

?;eneral  character  of  the  inhabitants  of  New-England. 
f  I  add  the  results  of  the  observations  made  in  the 
recent  tour,  you  will  possess  the  remarks  I  have 
made  on  more  than  half  of  the  whole  population  of 
the  country,  and  this  too  without  excluding  the  slaves 
from  the  calculation. 

The  great  national  characteristics  throughout  this 


COMMON  SCHOOLS. 


283 


whole  people,  are,  with  few  and  Umited  exceptiona 
every  where  essentially  the  same.     But  shades  o/ 
diflerepce  do  assuredly  exist,  which  may  serve  rather 
to  modify  the  several  states  of  society,  than  to  effect 
any  material  change.     I  think  the  principkl  distinc- 
tions emanate  from  slavery,  aj^  from  the  greater  or 
less  support  that  is  given  to  the  common   schools, 
'^f  Americans  themselves  rightly  esteem  knowledge 
as  the  palladium  of  their  hberty,  no  less  than  lie 
mighty  agent  of  their  comparative  importance :  and 
wherever  a  soun4  and  wholesome  pShcy  preVaila 
the  utmost  attention  is  paid  to  the  means  of  its  diffii' 
rt       i?"c.'*?*'"i^  constantly  remember,  however, 
that  each  State  has  the  entire  control  of  all  these 
subjects  in  its  own  hands.     Consequently,  although 
the  mighty  truth  is  universally  admitted,  very  differ^t 
means  have  been  resorted  to,  m  order  to  promote  its 
advancement.  . 

The  pohcy  of  New-York  and  Ohio  differs  but  Uttle 
from  that^of  New-England  in  this  particular.  Un- 
happily that  of  Pennsylvania  is  less  enhghtened.  In 
the  lormer  State  during  the  current  year  (1824) 
when  the  population  is  rather  under  1,600,000  there 
are  7,642  common  schools ;  402,940  scholars'  have 
been  tauglit  m  these  schools  for  an  average  of  niue 
months.  These  are  in  addition  to  all  the  private 
schools,  which  are  numerous,  especially  in  the  towns  • 
and  which  include  all  that  push  education  beyond 
readmg  writing,  arithmetic,  and  a  little  grammar  and 
geography.*  "^ 

From  these  numbers,  which  are  taken  from  offi- 
cial reports,  you  gain  two  important  facts ;  the  extent 
ol  tiie  common  education,  and  the  number  of  the 
children  compared  to  that  of  the  adults.    During  the 


*   In     1ft9J;-     ihn-a     mo.s     trfl-lei      ,  ,  .       . 

««i.  1      7   — — -    rr-.^   .r,j  cuiHJuon   scnooiB,  and  425.530 

wh?i"«''  *''.'^"''^'  of  thoBe  who  attended   656  schookTfrom 
which  n^,  retujrna  were  made  in  mm  to  bs  included. 


* 


It.: 

rl 


n 


■mJ    w  t^ 

1 

1 

tfi^ 

I^H 

^H 

09 

H 

H 

b^mIH 

Si 

Hh 

Mi  f^i^ 

^ffl 

Hk 

p.  l-'r 

# 

I^P 

•f' 

^ 

J 

i 

284 


STATiSl-ICS  OF  NfiW-YORK. 


same  year  (1824)  thc.e  were  11,553  marriages, 
61,383  births^  and  22,544  deaths,  or  nearly  three 
births  to  one  death.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
this  State  contains  more  populous  towns  than  any 
other,  and  that  the  deaths  in  the  city  of  New- York 
alone,  from  the  wandering  character  of  so  great  a 
portion  of  its  population,  must  necessarily  exceed 
the  regular  proportion  of  nature. 

While  on  this  subject,  it  may  be  well  to  advert  to 
a  few  other  facts,  of  which  I  propose  to  make  some 
use,  when  further  observation  shall  entitle  me  to 
comment  on  the  present  condition  and  future  fortunes 
of  the  slaves.  In  1790,  the  whole  population  of  the 
State  of  New- York  was  340,120.  Of  this  number 
25,975  were  blacks,  chiefly  slaves.  In  1800  there 
were  536,050  persons,  of, whom  30,988  were  blacks, 
chiefly  slaves.  In  1810,  959,049  persons,  and  40,350 
blacks,  of  whom,  perhaps,  nearly  half  were  free.  In 
1820  the  population  was  1,372,812,  of  whom  only 
39,367  were  blacks;  viz.,  10,088  slaves,  and  29,279 
free  people  of  colour.  In  1825  the  population  was 
1,616,458,  of  whom  39,999  were  blacks,  all  free,  or, 
what  was  the  same  thing,  all  to  be  free  on  the  4th  of 
July,  1827,  and  by  far  the  mosjt  of  them  were  free  at 
the  time  the  census  was  actually  taken. 

It  will  be  well  to  recollect  that  the  State  of 
New- York,  so  far  from  being  a  place  avoided  by 
the  blacks,  is  rather  one  they  seek.  The  scarcity 
of  domestics,  and  the  large  proportion  of  families 
who  keep  servants,  induce  thousands  of  free  people 
of  colour  to  resort  there  for  employment.  A  great 
many  are  also  hired  as  the  labourers  on  board  of 
vessels.  Still  they  do  not  increase,  amid  the  vast 
increase  of  the  whites.  A  trifling  migration  to  Hayti 
may  have  affected  the  returns  a  little,  but  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  migration  into  the  State  exceeds  that 
from  it.  One  must  remember  how  few  marriages 
take  place  among  these  people ;  their  moral  condition, 


DECREASE  OF  THE  TREE  BLACKS.       285 

their  vagrant  habits,  their  exposure,  their  dirt,  and  all 
the  accumulated  misfortunes  of  their  race  * 

I  think  it  is  quite  fair  to  infer,  from  these  state- 
ments,  that  freedom  is  not  favourable  to  the  con- 
tmuation  of  the  blacks  while  society  exists  under  the 
influence   of  its  present  prejudices.     The  general 
returns  of  the  number  of  the  free  blacks  in  the  whole 
01  the  United  States,  certainly  show  that  they  are  on 
the  increase ;  but  this  fact  is  to  be  ascribed  to  the 
constant  inanumissions,  and  not  to  any  natural  cause. 
In  Massachusetts,  there  have  been  no  slaves  since  the 
declaration  of  independence.   It  has,  of  course,  been 
a  favourite  residence  of  the  blacks,  some  of  whom 
have  risen  to  respectable  situations  in  hfe.     Among 
them,  tuere  have  been  traders,  ship-masters,  and  even 
ship-owners ;  and  yet  they  have  scarcely  increased  in 
number,  during  the  last  thirty  years.    In  1790,  there 
were  5,463  blacks  in  tliat  State ;  and  in  1820,  there 
were  6,740.  During  the  same  time  the  whole  popula- 
tion has  advanced  from  378,787  to  523,287.t    A  vast 
emigration   to  the  new  State*  has  kept  down  the 
population  of  Massachusetts.     Thus,  you  see,  that 
while  the   whites  have  increased  in  thirty  years 
more  than  thirty-eight  per  cent,  the  blacks  have  not 
reached  the  rate  of  twenty-four  per  cent,  and  thiB, 
too,  under  as  favourable  circumstances,  as  they  are 
probably  fated  to  enjoy,  for  a  long  time  to  come,  in 
these  republics.     But  Massachusetts  was  alone  for 
many  years,  in  the  protection  and  favour  she  extended 

1  ^,^A^^  ^'T^"^  P^  1826,  there  were  in  the  State  of  New- York 
?'^'fL"n^^*'^"^®'  ^^^'6^8  horses;  3,496,539  sheep:  1,467  573 
hogs ;  2,269  gri.t-mills,  chiefly  by  water;  5,195  s^^ZmsllmoBt 

and  189  woollen  manufactories  of  cloth  for  sale.  There  were 
645  deaf  and  dumb,  1,421  idiots,  and  819  lunatics.  It  shoTd! 
^IIT^  A!  il'^^^bf  ed,  that  unfortunate  subjects  of  these 
inSiiutionroVlffs"'"'"^  ''"'  ""'''  "'^'"'^  ^***^^  *°  *^«  benevolent 
t  Census  of  1820. 


286 


DECREASE  OF  THE  FREE  BLACKS. 


I    #  '4a       * 


1-1     «   -I    t  , 

1     .      I 


to  this  unfortunate  race.  The  rate  of  their  increase 
was  vastly  greater,  before  the  manumission  laws 
went  into  force  in  the  adjoining  States,  than  now. 
Thus,  between  1790  and  1800,  they  increased  one 
hundred  and  eighty  per  cent.,  a  rate  much  greater 
than  that  of  the  whites  during  the  same  period  (a 
consequence  of  the  influx  of  the  former,  and  of  the 
emigration  of  the  latter).  Between  1800  and  1810 
their  increase  was  forty-four  per  cent.,  and  between 
1810  and  1820  only  five  per  cent. ;  there  being  only 
three  more  blacks  in  1820  than  in  1810,  while  the 
whites,  notwithstanding  emigration,  had  augmented 
51,116. 

Now  it  is  quite  certain  that,  in  a  country  subject 
to  so  many  changes  as  this,  and  where  man  is  so 
very  active,  all  statistical  calculations  are  liable  to 
the  influences  of  minute  and  familiar  causes,  which 
are  very  likely  to  escape  the  detection  of  a  stranger. 
When  Cadwallader  first  directed  my  attention  to  the 
foregoing  reports,  I  was  about  to  jump  to  the  instant 
conclusion,  that  the  free  blacks  did  not  propagate 
their  species  at  all,  and  that,  as  the  gross  increase  of 
their  numbers  in  the  country  was  owing  to  manumis- 
sions, nothing  remained  hut  to  give  them  all  their 
freedom,  in  order  to  render  the  race  extinct.  But 
my  companion,  like  most  of  his  countrymen,  is  a 
calculator  too  wary  and  too  ingenious  to  fall  into  so 
gross  an  error. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  free  blacks,  like  the 
aborigines,  gradually  disappear  before  the  superior 
moral  and  physical  influence  of  the  whites,  but  the 
rate  of  their  decrease  is  not  to  be  calculated  by  that 
in  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  nor  even  by  that  of 
the  native  possessors  of  the  soil.  A  black  man,  unlike 
an  Indian,  can  be  easily  civilized ;  and  perhaps  there 
are  no  peasants  in  the  world  who  require  a  greater 

indulgence  of  fhfir  npraAnal  rnmfrkrfs  fhan  fK«  r^^^r^l^ 

of  colour  in  the  northern  and  middle  States  of  this 


:s. 

leir  increase 
nission  laws 
,  than  now. 
creased  one 
uch  greater 
le  period  (a 
,  and  of  the 
)Oand  1810 
nd  between 
s  being  only 
),  while  the 
augmented 

itry  subject 
I  man  is  so 
re  liable  to 
uses,  which 
'  a  stranger, 
ntion  to  the 
•  the  instant 
t  propagate 
increase  of 
o  manumis- 
m  all  their 
ttinct.  But 
•ymen,  is  a 
fall  into  so 

ks,  like  the 
le  superior 
tes,  but  the 
ted  by  that 
by  that  of 
man,  unlike 
rhaps  there 
e  a  greater 

•rKrk   w*  *% /-v  »>  I  i-» 

ates  of  this 


HABITS  or  THE  FREE  BLACKS.  287 

mosrothiVil^'  respect  they  are  hke  the  menials  of 

S  coTd  i,  nnf  ''"•.'l«""y.  But  it  is  well  known 
iZL^f  li  .  '""l^n'al  to  the  physical  tempera- 
ment  of  a  black.*    the  free  blacks  are  found  hov^- 

h!  cli^/  '^f  fr^\^  *«  »'''^«  States,  because 
toe  chmate  of  the  south  is  what  they  crav4.  Thus 
m  Pennsylvama  they  increase,  while  in  WYoA 
dolt  nrnr'"-.  K^°r  ^'"''°"  "^  '^s  effect  is  ^ 
the  ktfer  ?wh1^h  ^  \  ■""'**  ^"'^^"'"^  commerce  of 
as  sait™^  ^Ih  h  r'"'"'  "V  Sreat  number  of  blacks 
as  welU^n?!  '^^  P^'"'"""  P°"*=y  "f  the  Quakers, 
formerstr/ W^%'^"^"*'/  *«  Germani,  in  the 
tormer  btate,  both  of  whom  display  singular  ca-e  of 


eI.pl'^^ftr?rht3"eLeKS  rf?h."?rr  ""^  generation,  must 
ous  white,  nffh-       "  '  *"*  ^**'^'  *'  ^«"  ^  th«  hardy  and  viffor- 

.now.e.„™,  a^a  Zl  ^^ilZhZV^ttJ^tVori^ 
was  soon  surrounded  bv  a  thin  ino  ««^       u  ,  ®P°**    ^^^ 

nor  boat,  ,hey  wer:^7d:eeT.oXutaL'|''d'Xl'''i"°  *".• 
was  made  to  that  effect  A  voiin,r  »«r.7i  °*"'®^^-  ^  signal 
rescue  of  the  unfortunate  tSf«  ^seconXd  f  T'"'^'^  '^  *^« 
one  of  whon.  was  white/and  the  other  black  T^h^'^^r''^^"*"* 
farm  labourer  of  great  slrength  and  actMt^  tIc  ice  wasTb! 
broken  near  a  mile,  in  the  face  of  a  cuttin  /«,;«\f  V'!  Yll  *^.?« 


I  broken  near  a  mifeTn^r^a^c^oTa^^t^Twin'^^^^^^^^  S 
I  L^ermomtter  (Fahrenheit^  stood  oe^^^V^^y^i""'  and  while 
i       The  crew  were  resent,?:  hnVVir.  t^V^u'^'^S'"^^  °!^ow  Z' 


the 
iiero. 


The  crew  were  rescued  'hnVf}!!  "kv^r'  "®S?«es  beiow  Zero. 


2^8 


ANERfCAN  EXAOflERATION. 


.'  '*■ 


'    ' ''    ffl 

'  ,;■' '  ■! 

.  t-M 

.'  1 

f 

',   i 


t  . 


I 

i 


their  black  dependants.  But,  on  the  whole,  I  think 
it  must  be  a  "turned  as  a  fact  for  our  future  reasoning, 
that  thfe  free  blacks  ralther  decrease  than  otherwise' 
(always  excepting  the  effects  of  manumission) ;  and 
it  18  well  known,  that  the  whole  white  population 
grows  riither  faster  than  the  whole  black. 

Before  closing  these  remarks  I  will  add,  that  the 
whites,  with  the  exception  of  certain  districts  in  the 
southern  states^  attam  a  greater  degree  of  longevity 
than  the  blacks,  and  that  it  is  ktiown  that  the  slaves 
hare  more  children  than  the  free  people  of  colour. 
It  is  not  imp'robable  that  there  are  some  immaterial 
errors  in  the  rep/orts,  from  which  the  number  of  chil- 
dren in  the  common  schools  of  New- York  have  been 
taken,  since  the  State  bestows  its  bounty  in  propor- 
tion to  the  wants  of  the  district;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  must  be  remembered,  that  the  amounts  are 
gathered  by  public  and  qualified  officers,  and  that 
each  school  district  is  obliged  to  tax  itself  for  just  as 
much  money  as  it  receives,  in  order  to  raise  the  sum 
necessary  to  defray  the  current  expenses  of  common 
education,  so  that,  on  the  whole,  it  is  probable  there 
is  no  great  exaggeration;  nor  is  a  traveller,  who  has 
witnessed  the  immense  number  of  white-headed  and 
cl«ibby  little  urchins  he  sees  all  over  the  country,  at 
all  disposed  to  suspect  it. 

We  of  Europe,  when  we  listen  to  the  wonders  of 
these  regions,  in  the  way  of  increase  and  prosperity, 
are  a  little  addicted  to  suspect  the  native  narrators 
of  the  prodigies  of  a  love  of  the  marvellous.  I  once 
ventuired  to  ask  Cadwallader  his  opinion  on  this  deli- 
cate point.  His  answer  was  sufficiently  to  the  point, 
and  you  shall  hate  it,  vnthout  the  smallest  quawftca- 
tion: — 

*>  That  the  Europeans,"  he  said,  "  will  not  believe 
facts^which  hare  a  daily  existence  before  our  eves, 
proves  nothing  hut  their  ignorance.  In  my  own  opin^ 
ion,  and  this  is  but  a  matter  of  opinion,  there  is  less 


ir 


EUROPEAN  IGNORANCE.  289 

H^!i  J  ""*" '?  »"y  other  Christian  country,  tbonsh 
Heaven  knows  there  is  quite  enough.  In  sayinS- 
hood  I  mean  untruths,  whether  intentiona   or  „ot 

cess^ry '  thatT'  "'  ^"'^  "^•'""*^  '^  absoiutd/ne: 
h!  T^V  ,',"5*  ^^"y  ""merous  class  of  vulgar  false- 
hoods should  flourish  any  where.  Our  &e.^ 
kinsmen,  who  are  quite  as  enlightened  as  anyTth« 

S  f^L^^h""  ^rr^r'  "«  *■"  fr"'"  hefng  ex- 
empt from  the  foible  of  excessive  credulity.     The 

sci?cerdo-'"  °?  """  t°P  of  ««tage-coacr  would 
scarcely  do  in  an  Amencan  vehicle ;  for  the  shrewd 
prac^cal,  quick-witted,  and   restless  peopL  of  Z' 
coun  ry,  would  be  ashamed  to  believ^e!  and  conse! 
quently  ashamed  to  tell,  half  the  extraoklinary  feat 
of  such  or  such  a  subject  of  notoriety,  mereVb^ 
cause  they  have  been  accustomed  to^  blunder- 
standingly  of  what  a  man  can  do  in  almost  eveX 
situation   m   which   he  is  ordinarily  Im    nZ 
where  is  a  he  so  soon  and  so  thoroughly  sifted  as 
here.     Even  the  institutions  of  the  countr^  are  &■ 
vounble  to  the  discovery  of  truth,  as  no  nSn  Ts  ex 
officio  considered  immaculate.    Love  of  countrv   a 
^nger  passion  in  America  than  even  in  EnglS.'or 
rather  a  more  general  one,  has  never  protected  an 
officer  in  a  false  colouring  of  a  victory  Vadtfeat  ' 
when  the  truth  was  within\e  reach  of  [he  multftude 
The  attempts  are  comparatively  rare,  for  the  hazarf 
IS  notorious.    During  the  war  if  the' revolution,  ?h1 
pubhc  documents  of  the  nation,  which  were  issued 
m  somethmg  like  the  fonn  of  bulletins,  were  found 
clV"  *""*'  ^^  *«  ..signature  of  the  SecretaTof 

SteSgTcr'""^'^ '''"""" """''''''"'  -  *°  «« 

tinnJn°2tiT*f?5«  r'«  *e,  people  everinten- 
—      «^v^ircu,  uuu  11  IS  rare  indeed  that  they  were 

s  w'f r"*"  "*  ""•     ^''""y' '»  '  824,  gives  fn^uE! 
Vol.  I      '™'  ^"°""*'  "^         •»♦*%  *"  -nes, 


tlvik 


290 


EXCESSIVE  CREDULITY  AND  INCREDULITY. 


*i«      I' 


and  reverses,  as  did  Charles  Thompson  in  1776.  In- 
deed, it  would  be  just  as  impracticable  for  the  gov- 
ernment to  mislead,  for  any  length  of  time,  as  it 
would  for  an  individual  to  make  people  think  a  man 
could  work  a  miracle,  or  get  into  a  quart  bottle. 
Thus  we  are  spared  a  prodigious  amount  of  false- 
hood, which  prevails  elsewhere,  merely  because  no 
one  will  believe  it ;  or,  at  least,  there  will  not  be 
enough  of  the  credulous  to  permit  an  improbable  lie 
to  flourish.  Then  the  servile  deception,  which  is  a 
necessary  attendant  of  great  inequality  of  condition, 
cannot  be,  and  is  not,  as  frequent  here  as  in  Europe. 
A  mechanic  will  be  very  apt  to  tell  any  man  his  mind 
who  offends  him,  whether  he  be  a  governor  or  merely 
a  brother  in  the  trade. 

"Moral  influence  is  also  quite  as  strong  in  the 
United  States,  as  in  the  most  moral  countries  of  the 
east.  Indeed,  I  know  but  one  cause  why  deception 
should  be  more  active  here  than  in  Europe,  while  I 
can  see  and  do  know  a  multitude  why  it  should  not. 
The  freauency  of  elections  certainly  gives  rise  to  a 
greater  frequency  of  those  amiable  misrepresenta- 
tions that  are  so  peculiar  to  all  political  struggles. 
But,  in  point  of  effect,  these  election  lies,  as  they  are 
called,  defeat  themselves  ;  they  indeed  do  even  more; 
they  often  defeat  the  truth,  as  most  people  are  pre- 
disposed to  incredulity.  And  yet,  four  fafths  of  our 
elections  pass  away  like  this  you  have  just  witnessed, 
without  exciting  sufficient  interest  to  raise  a  lie  about 
them  at  all. 

"Facts,  undeniable,  manifest,  and,  to  an  American, 
familiar  facts,  do  cercainly  often  assume  to  the  un- 
practised ears  of  an  European,  an  air  of  startling  ex- 
aggeration. There  appears  in  mankind  a  disposition 
always  to  believe  too  much,  or  to  believe  too  little. 
The  exact  and  true  medium  is  hit  by  very  few,  who- 
by  uniting  a  sufficiency  of  experience  to  a  necessary 
amount  of  native  penetration,  are  enabled  to  estimate 


LEAVES  NEW-YORK   FOR  THE   SOUTH.  291 

testimony  With  accuracy.     I  have  repeatedly  felt, 
while  in  Europe  the  embarrassment  orencounterinK 
those  who  were  disposed  to  believe  miracles  on  the 
subject  of  my  country,  and  those  who  were  not  dis- 
posed to  believe  that  things,  under  any  circumstances, 
could  vaiy  materially  from  the  state  in  which  they 
existed,    before   their  own   eyes.      Even   educated 
men  cease  to  resemble  each  other  in  this  respect, 
for  al   the   books   m   the   world  cannot  qualify  a 
man  to  estimate  the  power  of  his  species  half  so 
well  as  personal  observation.    Our  very  obstinacy  in 
incredulity  on  practical  things,  goes  to  prove  the 
general  sense  of  mankind  concerning  the  value  of 
experience,  by  showing  how  apt  we  are  to  refuse 
credit  to  acts  which  exceed  any  thing  we  have  our- 
selves  witnessed.     Perhaps,  in  a  country  where  so 
much  IS  actually  done,  there  is  some  disposition,  on 
the  part  of  vulgar  minds,  to  exceed  possibility  in  their 
anticipations,  and  even  in  their  narrations,  but  this 
would  prove  the  quality  rather  than  the  amount  of 
our  misrepresentation.     On  the  whole,  I  incline  to 
the  opinion,  that  there  are  more  untruths  told  in  de- 
nymg  the  unparalleled  advances  of  this  country,  than 
m  amrming  it."  •' 


■  *?►>:; 


TO  SIR  EDWARD  WALLER,  BART. 


kc.  ice. 


Washington,  — 

rt,  ^"u   P^^'^g^   ^^<*«!   New-York   to   Philadelphia, 

though  the  distance  is  less  than  ninety  miles,  was 

made,  as  is  so  nfiiml  Vte^vo.   K^r  io.»>j  __  j  i 

, !..-.» v/,  tjj  laiiu  uiiu  uy  waier.     in 

consequence  of  the  unequalled  facilities  offered  by 

their  nvers,  bays,  and  sounds,  the  Americans  enjoy, 


tds 


AhVNlikNCe.  ON  THE  TABLES. 


it'    J% 


t . 


I 


> 


-C 


in  a  very  large  portion  o(  their  country,  the  means 
of  travelling  that  are  cheap  and  commodious  to  a 
degree  that  is  u  iknown  in  any  other  country.  Of  the 
iteam-boats  I  have  alf'^  ady  spoken;  but  1  do  not 
rt;m«'mber  to  have  said  ..ny  thing  concerning  their 
extraordinary  cheapness.  The  passage  money  is 
sometimes  little  more  than  nominal.  I  have  been 
conveyed  in  a  spacious,  convenient,  and  even  elegant 
boat,  the  distance  of  forty  miles,  for  something  less 
than  a  shilling  sterling.  This  was  certainly  cheaper 
than  common,  but  the  price  of  a  passage,  (food  in- 
cluded,) from  New- York  to  Albany,  varies  from  two 
to  four  dollars,  according  to  the  style  and  nature  of 
your  accommodations.  For  the  lowest  sum,  you 
travel  better  than  in  any  European  boat  I  have  ever 
et  seen ;  and  for  the  highest,  if  the  excessive  crowds 
e  excepted,  with  a  degree  of  comfort  and  abundance 
that  is  really  next  to  incredible. 

I  think  the  first  thing  that  strikes  you  at  an  Ameri- 
can table,  is  the  liberality  with  which  it  is  supplied. 
The  excessive  abundance  is  a  fault  The  innkeepers 
seem  to  understand  that  a  traveller  can  eat  but  a  cer- 
tain quantity,  and  they  appear  nearly  indifferent  as  to 
the  quality  of  the  articles  in  which  he  may  choose  to 
indulge.  Thus  game,  fish,  and  flesh,  are  placed  before 
him  in  very  liberal  quantities,  and  he  is  allowed  to 
choose  between  them.  What  he  leaves  is  silently 
removed,  pay  being  expected  only  for  t^  >.  wljich  is 
consumed.  Uf  course  the  prices  and  tho  '^'  *'^  of 
the  viands,  no  less  than  the  style  in  wb  crs  he^  arfe 
served,  differ  very  materially  in  a  country  of  such 
vast  extent.  In  the  older  States,  particularly  in  the 
VK  nJty  of  the  large  towns,  the  expenses  of  the  inns 
are  -^clor  than  in  the  interior,  though,  compared 
wit??  u  ^Jir  '  cmfort  and  abundance,  never  equal  to 
thLv  'c  i  we  p^  '  in  most  of  Europe.  Foreign 
trav*bilers  are,  however,  often  deceived  on  the  sub- 
ject, from  ignorance  of  knowing  how  to  choose.   The 


I 


the  means 
odious  tc  n. 
try.  Of  the 
it  1  do  not 
irning  their 
I  money  is 

have  been 
ven  elegant 
lething  less 
[ily  cheaper 
;e,  (food  in- 
J8  from  two 
1  nature  of 

sum,  you 

have  ever 
live  crowds 
abundance 

:  an  Ameri- 
is  supplied, 
innkeepers 
t  but  a  cer- 
ierent  as  to 
Y  choose  to 
iced  before 
allowed  to 
is  silently 
Lu  which  is 

»,  (](u'>r5  V  of 

:h  they  arfe 
ry  of  such 
larly  in  the 
of  the  inns 
compared 
T  equal  to 
.  Foreiem 
)n  the  sub- 
3ose.   The 


MAK^r£R  or   tRAVELLINO.  293 

stage-houses,  though  frequently  the  best  mus,  very 
olten  deserve  to  be  classed  .none  tlie  worst.     The 
traveller  m  a  stage  is  commonly  obliged  to  take  siirh 
lare  as  the  stage-house  affords.     There  is  no  posting, 
and  consequently  those  connected  lines  of  excellent 
mns,  which  are  to  be  found  over  most  of  England, 
and  which  are  prepared  for  the  accommodation  of 
travellers  who  are  willing  to  pay  a  little  more  than 
common,  for  personal  indulgence,  are  unknown  here, 
liut  still,  a  native  of  the  country,  and  especially  one 
of  higher  pretensions,  travels  in  all  the  older  States 
ot  America,  with  vastly  more  comfort  than  a  stran- 
ger would  be  apt  to  suppose.     He  is  familiar  with 
his  pnvileges,  and  he  knows  how  to  assert  them  with- 
out offence ;  while  the  foreigner  either  submits  unne- 
cessarily to  privations,  from  an  exaggerated  opinion 
ot  the  danger  of  offending  a  people,  of  whose  equality 
he  has  an  absurd  and  confused  opinion,  or  he  gives 
rational  cause  of  disgust,  by  assuming  airs  that  should 
be  practised  nowhere,  and  which  can  never  with 
perfect  impunity  be  practised  here. 

We  left  New- York  in  a  steam-boat  for  Brunswick 
a  small  city  in  the  State  of  New-Jersey.  At  this  place 
we  found  no  less  than  thirteen  stages,  ready  to  con- 
vey those  who  proceeded  to  the  river  Delaware. 
1  he  number  of  the  coaches  varies  according  to  the 
anriount  of  travelling,  and  on  some  occasions  I  was 
told  it  exceeded  twenty. 

In  these  vehicles,  the  passenjrers  are  disposed  by 
a  very  simple  and  quiet  process,\nd  with  an  expedi- 
tion that  marks  all  the  movements  of  these  active 
people.  Yon  are  only  to  imagine  a  hundred  pas- 
sengers, arriving  with  their  baggage  at  a  point  ofde- 
barkation,  whence,  in  less  than  ten  minutes  of  time 
they  were  to  proceed  in  coaches,  to  fancy  the  uproar 
and  confusion  tha^  wnnlrl   nr'/^m.  ;«  ^^^t. \_:__ 

1  he  steam-boat  hues,  as  they  are  called,  manage  the 
matter  differently. 

Cc2 


'fflHH 


h 
it 


tjf.  (• 


t      fl 


^94       cLAssincAtioN  or  the  travellers. 

Some  little  time  before  the  boat  arrives,  the  pas- 
sengers give  in  their  names,  and  receive  id  return, 
tickets,  vjrhich  bear  the  numbers  of  the  coaches  in 
which  they  are  to  proceed.  As  the  mastera  of  the 
boats  have  a  method  of  making  these  arrangements, 
which  is  analogous  to  the  common  sense  customs  of 
the  country  on  all  matters  which  relate  to  the  inte- 
rior regulations  of  society,  I  will  explain  it. 

You  will  readily  suppose  that  all  classes  of  people 
are  to  be  found  travelling  in  these  public  and  cheap 
conveyances ;  some  little  address  is  therefore  neces- 
sary to  dispose  of  an  assemblage  which  is  so  motley, 
and  whose  members  are  of  necessity  to  be  brought 
in  such  f&miliar  contact.     The  master  of  the  boat 
knew  Cadwallader,  and  to  him  he  immediately  gave 
ticket  No.  1  ;  not  that  the  stage  was  better  than  the 
rest,  but  because  it  was    necessary  to  keep  some 
division  of  the  subject  in  his  own  mind,  and  this  was 
probably  the  most  natural.     My  companion  pointed 
to  me,  and  I  received  No.  1,  also.     There  were  two 
or  three  pretty,  genteel  looking  women,  with  their 
male  friends,  who  received  the  same  sort  of  tickets, 
until  the  stage  was  filled.     Then  came  Nos.  2,  3,  4, 
5,  and  6,  with  nearly  the  same  quality  of  travellers. 
In  one  or  two  instances  I  heard  requests  urged,  that 
families,  or  parties,  might  be  placed  together,  and 
several  changes  were  made  in  order  to  accommodate 
the  appHcants.     There  were  two  or  three  vehicles 
filled  with  jolly  sons  of  the  ocean,  who  appeared  to 
relish  each  other's  society  better  than  they  would 
have  relished  ours;  and  the    carriage  in  the  rear 
brought  on  a  dark  bevy  of  the  descendants  of  Ham. 
When  we  reached  the  shore,  each  one  sought  his 
number;   the  baggage,  which  had  been  previously 
marked  with  chalk,  -was  transferred  to  its  proper 
vehicle,  and  the  whole  line  was  in  swift  motion,  in 
less  than  the  prescribed  time. 

In  order  to  get  a  view  of  the  country,  I  had  begged 


IRS. 

38,  the  pas- 
in  return, 
c:oaches  in 
ters  of  the 
ingements, 
customs  of 
0  the  inte- 
t. 

5  of  people 
and  cheap 
fore  neces- 
so  motley, 
36  brought 
f  the  boat 
ately  gave 
T  than  the 
:eep  some 
d  this  was 
•n  pointed 
were  two 
with  their 
of  tickets, 
)s.  2,  3,  4, 
travellers, 
rged,  that 
jther,  and 
)mmodate 
e  vehicles 
peared  to 
ley  would 
the  rear 
of  Ham. 
ought  his 
>reviously 
ts  proper 
notion,  in 

d  begged 


A   SAlLOft   COACttMANi 


295 


d  seat  on  the  dicky,  by  the  side  of  the  coachman. 
As  the  driver  of  No.  1.  gave  the  movement  to  all  who 
came  after  him,  he  was,  of  course,  the  most  distin- 
guished whip  of  the  whole  procession.     My  com- 
panion certainly  deserved  his  honours,  for  he  not  only 
'  managed  his  team  with  great  dexterity,  but  he  showed 
the  quahties  of  judgment  and  temper  in  that  degree 
winch  I  think  distinguishes  most  of  the  native  coach- 
naen  of  this  country.     They  are  commonly  a  reason- 
ing and  discreet  race,  compared  to  so  many  of  their 
prototypes  in   Europe,  and   consequently  they  are 
humane.   A  little  discourse  soon  brought  us  acquaint- 
ed, and  to  my  amazement  I  found  the  coachman  was 
also  a  sailor,  and  that  a  year  or  two  before,  he  had 
actually  been  the  coxswain  of  a  commodore !    He 
had  driven  a  public  coach  in  England,  a  private 
coach  in  South  America,  and  now  he  was  driving  No, 
1.  of  the  steam-boat  line  at  home !  «  Where  were  you 
born  ?"  I  asked.  "  Over  there,  in  that  house  you  see 
against  the  sid^  of  the  hill,"  he  answered,  pointing 
with  his  whip.     «  1  took  to  the  seas  about  the  same 
time  I  took  to  horses,  and  so  I  have  been  driving  and 
getting  a  wet  jacket,  turn  about,  two  or  three  seasons 
at  a  time,  these  five  and  twenty  years.    But  my  pipe 
IS  out  now  for  the  seas,  since  I  broke  my  arm,  in 
which  there  is  scarce  strength  enough  left  to  hold  a 
bucket  of  water  to  the  heads  of  my  horses."     Here 
was  a  striking  case  of  the  diversity  of  employment 
which  IS  so  common  in  America.    The  very  pursuits 
which,  m  Europe,  are  perhaps  the  most  opposed  to 
each  other,  were  here  successfully  exercised  by  the 
same  man.     When  !  mentioned  the  fact  to  Cadwal- 
lader,  he  told  me  that  such  professional  incongruities 
were  far  from  rare,  and  that  one  of  the  best  drivers 
of  a  public  coach  he  had  ever  known,  was  a  man 

.—  -..,  Tv^icizivii  iJiB  ijic  uy  sumaunies  going  io 

sea.     Indeed,  I  am  persuaded  there  is  no  one  thing 
which  will  more   astonish  an  observant  and  good- 


S96 


A   eOOD    AMERICAN   fHit* 


It 


i    i 


*      I      '  ' 


r*' 


humoured  traveller  through  this  country,  than  the  ex- 
traordinary  aptitude  that  the  common  Americans  dis- 
play  m  the  exercise  of  callings  which  are  thought  to 
be  as  much  opposed  to  each  other  in  qualification  as 
that  of  a  coachman  and  that  of  a  coxswain  of  a  man- 
oi-war. 

.      We  found  the  ro<  ds  very  tolerably  good,  the  horses 
excellent,  the  coaches,  though  not  exceedingly  easy, 
well  enough     When  we  entered  Trenton,  the  coach 
was  stopped  by  Cadwallader,  and  we  descended  at 
an  mn,  which,  as  it  afterwards  appeared,  had  no  con- 
nexion with  the  stages.     Our  example  was  followed 
by  one  or  two  more,  the  rest  of  the  travellers  pro- 
ceedmg  to  the  regular  stage-house.     I  mention  this 
httle  circumstance,  as  it  may  serve  to  give  an  idea 
ot  a  description  of  inns  in  this  country,  of  which  even 
observant  travellers  in  it  do  not  often  get  any  notion, 
but  which,  nevertheless,  abound  in  all  the  northern 
and   eastern  States.     Under  favou-  of  my  friend's 
experience,  I  have  entered  fifty  such,  some  not  quite 
as  good,  and  some  even  better  than  the  one  I  am 
about  to  describe : — 

At  Bispham's,  Trenton,  we  were  received  by  the 
landlord  with  perfect  civility,  but  without  the  slightest 
shade  of  obsequiousness.     The  deportment  of  the 
innkeeper  was  manly,  courteous,  and  even  kind :  but 
there  was  that  in  his  air,  which  sufficiently  proved 
that  both  parties  were  expected  to  ma^jifest  the  same 
qualities.  We  were  asked  if  we  all  formed  one  party 
or  whether  the  gentlemen  who  alighted  from  number 
one  wished  to  be  by  themselves.     The  reply  was, 
that  we  wished  to  be  alone.     We  were  shown  into 
a  neat  well-furnished  little  pariour,  where  our  supper 
made  Its  appearance  in  the  course  of  twenty  minutes. 
1  he  table  contained  many  little  delicacies,  such  as 
game,   oysters,  and  choice  fish,  and  several   tliinm, 
were  named  to  us  as  at  hand,  if  needed.     Cadwalfi- 


,  than  the  ex« 
nericans  dis- 
e  thought  to 
allocation  as 
tin  of  a  man- 

d,  the  horses 
jdingly  easy, 
n,  the  coach 
lescended  at 
had  no  con- 
vas  followed 
ivellers  pro- 
nention  this 
^ve  an  idea 
which  even 
any  notion, 
he  northern 
my  friend's 
16  not  quite 
e  one  I  am 

ved  by  the 
the  slightest 
lent  of  the 
ti  kind ;  but 
titly  proved 
st  the  same 
I  one  party, 
om  number 
reply  was, 
ihown  into 
our  supper 
ty  minutes. 
3s,  such  as 
iral   thino« 
Cadwalla- 


lYS  COMFORTS  AND  CHEAPNESS.        297 

^cefen/'?K  '^*?^^:^  ^  *^^^  *^^^^^-  The  former  was 
exceiient,  the  latter,  as  usual,  indifferent  enough. 

Jr^ni?^'''.  ^^  New-York  and  Philadelphia  were 
brought  m  at  our  request,  and  we  sat,  with  our  two 
candles,  before  a  cheerful  fire,  reading  them  as  iSTg 
as  we  pleased.  Our  bed-chambers  were  spaciou^ 
7.1Z^^^^^^'  ^^d  as  neatas„ possible,  and  ttie  beds 
as  good  as  one  usually  fiHdTthem^it  of  France.  In 
the  mormng  we  left  ^he  house  belSfT^fiSEt,  in 

river  ««hnT'''r'/*^^>^*  ^^^^'  ^*^i^*^  t^'^k  the 
Now    f^l  ™'*^  ^"''"  ^^^  P^^^^  ^h^^e  ^e  slept. 
iNow,  lor  these  accommodations,  which  were  iust 
as  good,  with^one  solitary  exception,  (water-closets,) 
as  you  would  meet  in  the  better  ^rder  of  English 
provincial  inns,  and  much  better  in  the  quality  and 
abundance  of  the  food,  we  paid  the  sum  of  I.  6jf  ster 
Jmg  each.  I  confess  I  did  not  think  it  was  enough,  and 
proposed  to  my  companion  to  make  an   addition, 
m  up  your  purse,"  he  said,  smiling;  "all  we  ask 
w,  that  when  you  get   back,  you   will  merely  tell 

will  take  neither  more  nor  less."  Yormust  also 
remember,  that  in  America,  when  you  pay  the  regu- 
lar  price  for  any  thing,  you  commonly  have  paid  all. 

LaJu  "I!^'"  ^"i'''^';  ""  '^^a«<=  ask  ^or  a  douceur: 
and  though  people  of  a  certain  class  generally  dve  a 
trifle  to  the  man  who  cleans  boots,  or  to  him  who 
does  any  httle  extra  services,  neither  waiter,  cham- 
bermaid, nor  any  one  else,  demands  it.  It  is  iust  the 
same  m  the  steam-boats,  stages,  hackney-coaches, 
&c.,  when  you  get  the  regular  price,  you  know  all 
the  necessary  expense,  and  I  use  the  word  necessary 
in  relerence  to  custom  no  less  than  right* 


*u 


*  A  trifle  is  commonly  exnectnd  for  ♦ra«cf«— : .^-  ^ 

from  the  steam-boats  to  the  coach"es;and;Se  ;e:::i  "some^S.!: 
an  European,  or  an  experienced  American  servant  in  the  lam« 
towns,  will  look  as  if  he  e.rpected  a  present  ^* 


'♦i 


298 


/ 


".% 


^fi 


n 


- 


SECOND  ONLY  TO  ENGLISH  INNg. 


I  have  been  in  a  vast  number  of  these  inns.  So 
far  from  putting  people  three  in  a  bed,  they  apologize 
for  the  necessity  of  putting  friends  in  the  same  room 
when  it  is  necessary ;  and  on  the  slightest  hesitation 
at  such  an  arrangement  being  manifested,  they  do  all 
they  can  to  obviate  the  necessity. 

I  do  not  suppose  that  it  is  possible  to  arrive  at  any 
very  exact  estimate  of  the  taverns  in  this  country. 
They  are  certainly  more  numerous  than  I  remember 
to  have  ever  seen  them  before,  especially  on  all  the 
great  routes.  A  vast  number  are  very  bad,  and  it 
might  be  difficult  for  even  a  native  to  travel  in  his 
own  carriage  any  great  distance  without  occasionally 
encountering  some  of  the  sort;  but,  always  confining 
my  remarks  to  the  older  and  more  northern  States, 
and  making  the  exceptions  which  are  peculiar  to  the 
two  countries,  I  am  of  opinion  that  there  are  quite 
as  many  good  taverns  in  America  as  in  England, 
while  there  are  infinitely  more  bad  ones.  The  former, 
certainly,  do  not  occur  at  every  five  miles ;  but  in 
order  to  institute  a  fair  comparison,  it  is  necessary  to 
remember  the  vast  difference  in  the  sizes  of  the  two 
countries.  In  this  simple  fact  exists  the  secret  of  the 
apparent  difference  in  the  quality  of  the  taverns. 
But  an  American  inn,  and,  indeed,  the  inn  of  every 
other  country  except  England,  is  almost  always  de- 
ficient in  the  one  great  nameless  convenience  already 
mentioned  in  this  letter.  The  servants  here  are  not 
so  good  as  in  Europe  generally,  and  much  inferior  to 
those  in  England.  I  make  my  comparisons  with  your 
inns,  because  they  are,  as  a  class,  more  uniformly 
good  than  those  of  any  other  country,  and  because 
the  best  of  yours  are  unquestionably  among  the  best 
of  the  world.  1  know  no  other  country  indeed  in 
which  the  inns  will  compare,  on  the  whole,  with 
those  of  the  older  parts  of  America.  The  inns  of 
France,  in  the  large  towns,  cleanliness  excepted,  are 


HABITS    OF    THE    EX-KING. 


39d 


About  equal  to  the  inns  in  the  large  towns  here;  but'  c^ 
the  best  inns  of  the  villages  are  vistly  inferior.*         1^ 

Ihe  passage  down  the  Delaware,  though  pic- 
turesque, and  far  from  unpleasing,  will  bear  no  com- 
parison  with  that  on  the  Hudson!  Still,  one  may  g^t 
an  Idea  of  the  great  beauty  of  all  these  splendid 
views  by  recalling  the  fact  that  numberless  European 
travellers  who  have  made  the  excursion  to  Philadel- 

Sde^s  ^^'^^  "^'"'*^'  ^^^^^  *^®  ^**""^*'  "''^''  ^°  *« 

A  few  miles  below  Trenton,  Joseph  Bonaparte 
has  sought  a  retreat  from  the  cares  and  mortification, 
of  the  old  world.     He  lives  in  a  sort  of  retirement 
which   embraces  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  de- 
pendants.  The  family  of  Bonaparte  is  already  getting 
to  be  numerous  in  America,  and  it  is  probable  tiiat  in 
a  few  years  the  name  will  be  found  in  the  rolls  of         * 
t^onpss  :  a  cenhiry  hence  it  may  possibly  be  seen 
on  the  signs  of  the  cities.    Besides  the  ex-king,  (who 
has  assumed  the  title  of  Compte  de  Survilliers,^  the 

T^^I  V'^^^^  '''"^g^  ^*^^^^  lies  adjacent  to  the 
splendid  chateau  of  Morfontaine,)  there  are  a  son  of 
Lucien  (married  to  the  oldest  daughter  of  Joseph,^ 
a  son  of  Jerome  by  his  first,  or  the  American  wife 
and  two  sons  of  the  hapless  Murat.    Charies,  the  son 
ot  J^ucien,  has  childien  born  in  the  country,  and  who 
consequently  are  possessed  of  the  rights  of  natives 
1  his  young  man  is  already  favourably  known  for  his 
devotion  to,  and  for  his  attainments  in  science.   He  is 
said  to  be  simple  in  his  habits,  and  to  have  found     « 
lavour  among  the  republicans  of  these  re&ions.  ' 

The  Compte  de  Survilliers,  I  believe,  does  not 
mingle  much  with  the  society  of  the  country.     He 

.u!iLlT®  ^^^^  •i^^^i"^  i"^o  *he  account,  there  are  inns  now.  in 

♦T*.l'"u"Y^''"v  f  «*«''«^"  parts  of  France,  that  are  quite  eouai  W 

rioL/i  ^!t'  ^'l^^A^  P''^^^"'^^^  ^""«-     Those  who  areCr^  K  I 

nous  m  their  beds  may  oven  think  them  better.  ^  f 


300 


NAPOLEON    IN    AMERICA. 


*% 


*  '     4,' 


■      .        1.1 


i  'i 


"M 


does  not  speak  the  language ;  and,  as  French  is  not 
so  generally  understood  here  as  in  Europe,  that  cir- 
cumstance alone  would  oppose  obstacles  to  his  wishes, 
did  he  even  feel  a  desire  to  live  more  in  the  world. 
He  is  said  to  be  unassuming  when  he  does  appear  in 
public ;  and,  in  consequence,  is  rather  in  favour  than 
otherwise.*  Many  absurd  conjectures  were  hazarded 
at  the  time  on  the  probable  consequences,  had  Na 
poleon  succeeded  in  his  project  of  reaching  the  United 
States.     These  conjectures,  like  a  thousand  others 
connected  with  the  events  of  the  hour,  are  already 
forgotten  among  the  evanescent  interests  of  the  past ; 
but  it  was  recalled  to  my  mind  as  I  gazed  at  the  se- 
cluded and  irregular  chateau  of  his  brother.    "  What 
would  Napoleon  have  done  with  your  institutions, 
had  he  reached  your  shores  V  was  the  question  I  put 
to  Cadwallader.   "He  would  have  found  some  agree- 
able site,  like  this  of  Joseph,  and  told  his  tales  of  Italy 
and  of  France  to  travellers  in  the  west,  instead  of 
telling  them  to  travellers  in  the  ea/«t.   As  no  one  man 
had  any  exceeding  influence  in  creating  our  institu- 
tions, rely  on  it  they  will  n6t  speedily  fall  before  the 
talents,  or  even  virtues,  of  any  single  individual.  That 
which  we  owe  to  ourselves  as  the  work  of  our  own 
hands,  our  own  hands  will  preserve;  and  while  kings 
can  find  on  earth  no  more  peaceful  asylum  than  that 


"^  A  few  years  since,  the  house  of  the  Compte  de  Survillierg 
was  burnt  by  accident.  A  few  days  after  the  conflagration,  a 
card  appeared  in  a  journal  of  the  vicinity,  in  which  the  sufferer, 
after  returning  thanks  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbouring 
village  of  Bordentown,  for  their  promptitude  in  coming  to  hw 
assistance,  alluded  to  the  circumstance,  that  none  of  his  effects 
had  been  purloined  in  the  midst  of  the  confusion  in  terms  of 
commendation.  The  writer  understood  that  the  thanks  were 
well  enough  received,  for  they  were  usual,  but  that  a  momentary 
offence  was  given  to  the  inhabitants,  by  any  man  presuming  to 
thank  them  for  common  honesty!  The  neonl«  of  fh*  ^J«;«;f- 
have,  however,  already  forgotten  their  pique,"for  they  speak  of 
thier  neighbour  with  great  kindness. 


the 


ench  is  not 
>e,  that  cir- 
» his  wishes, 
the  world. 
B  appear  in 
favour  than 
e  hazarded 
es,  had  Na 
the  United 
and  others 
ire  already 
•f  the  past ; 
I  at  the  se- 
r.  "What 
nstitutions, 
Bstion  I  put 
ome  agree- 
les  of  Italy 
instead  of 
lo  one  man 
3ur  institu- 
before  the 
lual.  That 
f  our  own 
vhile  kings 
1  than  that 


[e  Survilliers 
iflagration,  a 
the  sufferer, 
leighbourin^ 
ming  to  his 
>f  his  effects 
in  terms  of 
thanks  were 
.  momentary 
resuming  to 
'♦Kg  yicjRit" 
ley  speak  of 


PHILADELPHIA. 


301 


r  fi?^7  lu^""'  imagination  cannot  conceive  a  less 
profitable  theatre  for  the  enactment  of  a  royal  dramL 
We  are  ready  to  extend  hospitality  to  both  parti^ 

are  tired  of  their  subjects;  but  the  great  political  r61e 

nfllT?^  Philadelphia  remarkable  for  its  regularity 
of  construction,  its  neatness  and  its  quietude.     It  has 

r  in  rj'  ^  '"  "^  "  ^^''^^  ««^  ^^  Engl^h  town 
r^rk  thi'  ""l  1^""^"'  ^^  L^"^^»'  *»^^»  ^ven  New.' 
aVwellt  nf    ^^^'ir  ^T^'  ^^  ™^^ked  difference, 
as  well  as  of  resemblance,  between  the  City  of  Broth- 
erly-love  and  the  capital  of  the  mother  country    The 

thTl'cr'  rl'^'^t  ""l^  ^  'y'  i-media;j;;^mi^e: 
the  gay  cheerfu  look  which  distinguishes  New-York 

EnZd  r,T^^''  a  well-built  a^d  clean  to^  of 
to fe;    /  '*'  exceeding  neatness  is  almost  peculiar 

tLt  are  Z'^'  "!?^^  Sf  ''  ''  ^y  ^^jects  of  ornament 
mat  are  not  found  in  the  streets  of  any  English  citv 

il^voT^^r  ''''''%  'r-tP«  ^'^  ofUi^fmarb^; 
Sof  th.  .^T  ^"Jf  ''"^  V^^  ^^"^^^«'  ^"d  even 
terkl     TnH?^  ;r^^^         "*^^'^"^^  '"^  *»^esame  ma- 

streets  servpf  .'^'1^'"^".^"  ""^'^^  «*^»^  *»  '^^  best 
Ihn  1     ?  *""  ^"^'''^"  ^^^  appearance  of  the  place 

twlthtTdl^d"  "^^"^  ^  ^^"*"^*  ^'  '"^^^  ^- 

excelsT.^'itr^''^'  Philadelphia,  beyond  all  doubt, 
excels  Its  great  commercial  neighbour.  The  private 
buildings  do  not  materially  vary  from  those  ^I  have 
described,  though  I  think  it  may  be  said  there  is  less 
t^ste  for  luxury  generally,  in  this  place  than  in  New! 

*ou'h  ^J^  i'll".^'_*_*^fC--^"-  -,  -ore  simple, 
-a      ct.rTcy-3  iicui,  aiiu  oiren  exceedmffiv  rich      A 

gentleman  of  Philadelphia  i,  about  as  wff  lodged  ^ 

tha^^portion  of  the  English^  nobility  and  gentr^  wh^ 


.fit/   J.T 


■•11. 


i : 


',  I 


itrwtrffi. 


302 


PUBLIC    DUILDIKGS. 

)prietors  of  capital  to\ 


IH 


»\'n-hoiises.    This 
the  Frenchmen 
below  those  who  singly  occupy  large  hotels. 

Of  public  edifices  there  is  a  larger  and  better  dis- 
play than  in  New- York,  churches  alone  excepted. 
A  good  and  an  improving  taste  is  certainly  prevalent 
in  this  city  on  the  subject  of  architecture.  I  believe 
it  is  generally  admitted,  that  the  finest  modem  edifice 
we  know  is  the  Bourse  of  Paris.  You  will  be  sur- 
prised, perhaps,  when  I  say,  that,  next  to  this  exquisite 
work  of  art,  I  rankJheJBa,nkjifJbeJ.]n^ 
this  city.  There  are  certainlylTTiunHreSHbuiidings 
in  Europe  of  a  very  similar  style,  and  of  far  more 
laboured  ornaments ;  but  I  cannot  remember  one,  in 
which  simplicity,  exquisite  proportion,  and  material, 
unite  to  produce  so  fine  a  whole.  It  is  doric,  without 
side  colonnades,  not  particularly  large,  though  of 
sufficient  size  for  effect,  and  of  white  marble.  The 
church  of  the  Madeleine  at  Paris,  for  instance,  when 
completed,  should  be  an  edifice  of  a  vast  deal  more 
of  pretension ;  but,  notwithstanding  its  admirable  po- 
sition, its  great  size,  and  its  immense  colonnades,  I 
do  not  believe  it  will  ever  produce  so  pleasing  an 
effect  as  this  chaste  and  severe  little  temple  of  Plutus. 
It  is  certain  that  the  Madeleine  stands  in  a  position 
to  try  its  powers  of  pleasing  to  the  utmost;  for, 
flanked  by  the  Garde  Meuble,  and  fronting  the  faqade 
of  the  Chambre  des  Deputes,  no  imperfection  is  per- 
mitted to  escape,  without  quick  comparative  criticism. 
I  am  not  sure  that  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  does 
not  owe  some  of  its  charms  to  the  fact  that  it  has  no 
rival  near ;  but  even  that  circumstance  is  a  merit  in 
the  architect,  since  he  could  have  had  no  other  eye 
than  that  of  the  mind  to  regulate  his  proportions. 

Philadelphia  has  other  clever  edifices.  There  is 
anoiiier  waniving-uouse  m  classic  taste,  and  several 
more  buildings  erected  for  the  monied  institutions,  (a 
tribute  to  gold,  perhaps,  to  be  expected  here)  are  in 


A  MANUFACTURING  CITV. 


303 


ouses.    This 
Frenchmen 
tels. 

i  better  dis- 
e  excepted, 
ly  prevalent 
J.  I  believe 
)dem  edifice 
will  be  sur- 
his  exquisite 
jed  States  in 
sSbuildings 
of  far  more 
nber  one,  in 
nd  material, 
►ric,  without 
,  though  of 
irble.  The 
tance,  when 
t  deal  more 
Imirable  po- 
olonnades,  I 
pleasing  an 
le  of  Plutus. 
n  a  position 
itmost ;  for, 
g  the  facade 
ction  is  per- 
ve  criticism. 
I  States  does 
lat  it  has  no 
is  a  merit  in 
10  other  eye 
portions. 
I.  There  is 
and  several 
stitutions,  (a 
here)  are  in 


a  very  good  style.  An  immense  building  is  in  the 
course  of  co.istruction  for  a  Penitentiary,  and  wears 
a  promismg  air.  The  Fair  Mount  water-works  are 
well  worthy  the  examination  of  every  stranger. 

But  you,  who  know,  by  melancholy  experience, 
how  little  there  is  actually  worth  viewing  in  the 
oldest  countries  of  the  earth,  after  the  first  interest 
of  curiosity  has  been  appeased,  should  not  be  sur- 
prised to  learn,  that  an  American  city  can  contain 
very  little  to  reward  the  eye,  unless  that  which  is  seen 
should  be  taken  in  connexion  with  the  moral  agents 
that  have  assisted  to  bring  it  into  existence.  In  the 
latter  respect,  one  has  cause  of  astonishment  at  each 
step  taken  in  this  rapidly  advancing  country,  and  in 
no  place  more  than  in  Philadelphia. 

New- York  is  a  great  commercial  town ;  but  this 
city  is  more  devoted  to  manufacturing.     It  is  much 
cheaper  than  the  former  place,  and  in  many  particu- 
lars admirably  adapted  to  maintain  its  present  pur- 
suits.    There  is  no  want  of  capital ;  and  it  is  highly 
probable  that  the  day  is  not  distant  when  it  shall 
become  a  modified,  or  improved,  Manchester  or  Bir- 
mingham.    Its  present  population  is  about  140,000.* 
I  will  not  say  we  found  in  Philadelphia  a  better 
bred,  or  a  more  enlightened  society,  than  we  found  in 
New- York,  for  this  would  not  be  strictly  true ;  but 
we  found  it  less  interrupted  by  the  intrusions  of  that 
portion  of  the  world  which  is  purely  commercial. 
1  he  constant  and  vast  accessions  to  the  population 
of  the  latter  city  keep  society  in  a  constant  state  of 
fermentation,  as  I  have  already  mentioned :  and  it  is 
not  always  easy  to  tell  into  which  of  its  currents  or 
bubbhngs  one  has  fallen.    It  is  more  easy  to  keep  pace 

-  The  writer  has  more  than  once  said,  that  Philadelphia  citv 
nni^'  ~'  \ — .r----"'^  «a>,  auoui  icjU,000,  and  i\ew-iork  near 


l!  I 


con 


nc\nf\f\i\  1  •  ^>  .  •'.„ — "- '""iw"!  "■""  iicw-xorn  near 
200,000,  exclusive  of  the  village  of  Brooklyn,  a  suburb  on  the 
Long  Island  side  of  the  strait  or  arm  of  the  sea,  which  must 
have  of  itself  quite  12,000.  '  """"' 


304 


ROUTE    BY    THE    INTERIOR. 


'n^H 

'i 

1 

i^E 

if 

'        ^^m 

i .  ■  m 

f ''' 


ri 
ij 

,'  r 


Ui 


I 
J- 


11 


with  the  movements  of  this  tranquil  town.  With  the 
exception  of  those  who  are  literally  men  of  the  world, 
and  they  are  not  numerous,  I  should  say  also,  that  the 
inheritance  of  Penn  is  in  a  slight  degree  more  provin- 
cial in  its  habits  and  manners  than  the  sister  city. 

Instead  of  following  the  river  in  our  route  to  Balti- 
more, we  went  by  a  road  of  the  interior.  The  first 
day's  journey  was  through  one  of  the  most  highly  cul- 
tivated and  richest  agricultural  disti  cts  of  this,  or  of 
any  other,  quarter  of  the  world.  The  appearance  of 
the  country,  with  the  exceptions  already  named,  was 
essentially  Epglish,  though  I  have  seen  no  part  of 
England  where  such  farm-houses  and  barns  are  to  lu 
seen  as  we  met  wi*li  here.  The  village"  are  few,  find 
but  small,  though  there  are  two  or  three  market- 
towns  of  some  size  on  the  route.  The  natural  scenery 
was  rather  like  that  of  Normandy  than  that  of  Eng- 
land, though  the  artificial  parts  were  much  in  the 
English  taste,  always  excepting  hedges. 

The  Susquehannah  was  crossed  by  a  n  ihje  wooden 
bridge,  which  was  said  to  be  a  mile  long.  This  was 
the  twentieth  of  these  immense  constructions  in 
wood,  that  I  have  seen  since  my  landing ;  nor  are 
tKey  the  smallest  subjects  of  my  surprize.  The  great 
enterprise  and  exceeding  ingenuity  of  the  people  are 
here  displayed  to  great  advantage.  It  is  only  neces- 
sary to  discover  the  want  of  a  bridge,  or  a  canal,  to 
insure  an  effort,  and  commonly  a  successful  one,  to 
bring  it  into  ^existence./^  A  bridge,  a  quarter,  a  half, 
or  even  a  whole  mile,  in  length,  as  is  the  case  with 
that  of  Columbia  (across  the  Susquehannah),  is  no 
extraordinary  undertaking  for  the  inhabitants  of  a 
country  which,  forty  years  before,  and  often  less,  was 
an  entire  wilderness.  I  scarcely  know  how  to  give 
you  a  correct  idea  of  one  of  these  avenues  of  timber. 
As  thev  are  commonlv  thrown  across  some  vast  river, 
or  perhaps  a  lake,  on  whose  banks  the  native  forest 
is  to  be  found,  the  material  is  cheap,  and  easy  to  be 


;■ 


IMMENSE    BRIDGES, 


30d 


transported.  The  cost,  therefore,  is  in  no  proportion 
to  the  magnitude  of  the  work.  They  arl  built  on 
ditterent  pians ;  some  being  as  rude  and  simple  as 
possible,   and   others   forming  beautiful   models   of 

ml?"..     'Au''  ^"^  ^"^^^  ^^  *««*^'     I  should  think  a 
majority  of  them  are  suspended  by  chains.    Hoitiea^e 
however,  suspended  by  wood,  from  arches  of  timber 
that  rest  either  on  piers  of  stone,  or  on  well-secured 
foundations  of  frame-work.    The  better  sort  are  cov- 
ered,  having  roofs  and  even  windows ;  so  that  it  often 
happens  that  the  traveller,  perhaps  whilst  ruminating 
on  the  recent  origin  of  this  country,  finds  himseff 
journeying  through  an  edifice  which  is  from  a  quar 
ter  of  a  mile  to  a  mile  in  length.  ^ 

The  State  of  Pennsylvania  possesses  a  population, 
less  Identified  with  the  great  national  character,  than 
any  other  member  of  this  confederation.  It  is  com- 
puted  that  about  one-third  of  all  its  inhabitants  are 
the  descendants  of  German  emigrants.  Thev  ar^ 
remarkably  tenacious  of  their  own  customs  and  opin! 
ions,  and  even  of  their  language,  though  the  whole 
are  gradually  giving  way  before  the  superior  influence 
of  the  Enghsh  character.     I  conversed  with  several 

Thiv^/.Tp''  r^,  thl\d^«^"ption  of  inhabitants. 
J  hey  spoke  English  with  an  accent  as  if  it  were  a 
anguage  acquired  after  infancy,  and  it  was  easy  to 
trace  a  difference  m  the  activity  of  their  thoughts,  as 
compared  with  those  of  most  of  their  count™ 
1  found  them  however,  possessed  of  the  same  notions 
of  political  liberty,  which  have  been  so  long  estab- 

nti'"/^-'  ?r*7'^«  t«  have  become  essential 
ngredients  m  the  characters  of  all  its  inhabitants. 
1  met  with  others,  whose  descent  could  only  be 
traced  m  their  names ;  their  manners,  language,  and 
opinions,  having  already  undergone  the  find  change. 
Ihe  existence  of  so  larcre  a  hodv  nf  no^r^i^  j>5. 
sessmga  language  and  prejudices  of  their  own,  and 
living  so  near  to  each  other,  as  to  render 


Dd2 


easy 


306 


CHARACTER  Or  THE  POPULATlOWi 


*1 
h 
i 


;^ 


% 
r- 
■ft 


I  » 


i 


perpetuate  them  all  (for  a  time  at  least),  has  not  been 
Mritnout  its  inconvenience  to  the  State.  It  is  said,  that 
their  hostility  to  innovation  has  induced  these  people 
to  oppose  the  introduction  of  common  schools,  a 
policy  which,  if  much  longer  persevered  in,  is  in 
itself  sufficient  to  throw  their  community  a  century  in 
the  rear  of  their  neighbours.  There  are  other  estab- 
lishments of  the  Germans  in  different  parts  of  the 
Union,  but  none  near  so  wealthy  nor  important  as  the 
people  just  named.  There  are  also  the  French  of 
Louisiana,  the  Spaniards  of  Florida,  and  a  few  Hol- 
landers in  New-Jersey,  New-York,  &lc.  &lc.  But  the 
whole  of  these  slight  differences  in  identity  of  char- 
acter, are  fast  disappearing,  and  it  is  probable  that 
another  generation  will  effect  their  extinction.  As 
near  as  I  can  learn,  quite  nine  millions  of  the  ten 
who  compose  the  white  population  of  this  country 
are  descendants  of  the  English  (Irish  and  Scotch 
included) ;  the  rest  may  spring  from  half  the  other 
nations  of  Europe,  chiefly,  however,  the  Germans,  the 
Dutch,  and  the  French,  and  in  proportions  agreeably 
to  the  order  in  which  they  are  named.  But  of  this 
million,  assuming  the  estimate  to  be  exact,  which  in 
itself  is  not  quite  certain,  more  than  half  have  proba- 
bly lost  all  the  distinctive  marks  of  their  origin,  if  we 
except  those  who  are  actually  Europeans  by  birth.* 
I  do  not  think  one  meets  as  many  foreigners  estab- 
lished in  this  country  as  the  circumstances  might  give 
reason  to  believe.  There  are  particular  places  where 
they  assemble,  and  where  they  are  rather  striking  by 
their  numbers,  but,  in  the  interior,  I  have  frequently 


I  3 


P    r' 


*  The  writer  is  told  that  an  immense  emigration  to  the  United 
States  has  occurred  since  he  left  it.  One  statement  says  thj^t 
22,000  Irioh  alone,  arrived  at  the  city  of  New-York  during  the 
last  year.     The  citizens  complain  of  their  riotous  and  disorderly 

g. 1 .. J  '.2.   :_  4.1 Ua    — ~«  _«. — .«-j :ii  u_  -J ._J 

r-uuuuui,  aiju  II   IS  iiiuugitt   suiiic  scvcic   i\:tiix:uy   ;viit  uc  auupicu 

to  cure  an  evil  that  is  getting  to  be  serious. 


ENTRANCE  or  A  SLA'  TATE. 


307 


travelled  days  without  meeting  with  an  individual  of 
the  sort  to  know  him,* 

Before  we  quitted  the  Slate  of  Pennsylvania,  there 
was  a  wjnsible  chaage  for  the  worse,  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  country,  and  we  entered  Maryland  at  a 
pomt  but  little  adapted  to  give  us  the  most  favour- 
able impressions  of  the  effects  of  a  slave  population. 
1  he  aspect  of  things,  however,  changed  materially 
lor  the  better  as  we  approached  Baltimore,  whose 
environs,  seen  as  I  saw  them  in  a  mild  day  late  in  the 
autumn,  when  a  second  spring  so  oft^-n  seems  about 
to  open  on  the  vegetation  of  this  climate,  were  as 
pleasing  as  those  of  any  town  I  remember. 

Baltimore  is  a  neat,  well-built  city,  of  near  70,000 
inhabitants.  It  contains  many  excellent  private  houses, 
and  some  public  edifices,  in  better  taste  than  com- 
mon ;  but,  hke  Philadelphia,  it  wants  the  gay,  ani- 
mated look  which  renders  New-York  so  very  remark- 


AfXiS^  ,     ^^^^  "^"^"^  ""^  *^®  ^***°  °*'  New- York,  there  were 
40,430  ahem,  in  a  population  of  1,616,458.     But  this  enumera- 
lion  IS  hable  to  explanation.     A  native  of  Europe  who  has  be- 
come a  citizen  is  not  an  alien,  while  a  native  of  the  United  States 
who  is  not  a  citizen,  is.     The  latter  class,  though  not  very  im- 
portant, IS  more  numerous  Uian  one  would  suppose.    There  were 
many  natives  who  took  sides  with  the  crown  in  the  war  of  1776 
and  who  still  retain  their  characters  of  British  subjects,  beinir' 
pensioners,  &c.  &c.  although  they  prefer  to  reside,  and  even 
to  leave  their  descendants  in  the  place  of  their  birth.    Such  per- 
sons-are  aliens  of  course,  in  the  ejes  of  the  law.     There  are 
others  who  have  come  to  the  country  with  an  intention  to  reside, 
and  to  establish  their  children,  who  are  averse  to  throw  aside 
their  native  allegiance.   These  continue  aliens.  There  are  others 
again,  who  intend  to  become  citizens,  but  who  have  not  yet 
completed  the  term  of  probation.     In  addition  to  these  explana- 
tions, the  city  of  New- York  receives  more  emigrants,  perhaps, 
than  all  the  rest  of  the  United  Slates  together,  and  it  is  the  cho- 
sen residence  of  foreign  merchants  established  in  the  country 
It  may  be  well  to  add,  that  there  were  5,610  paupers  included  in 
♦his  census  of  the  State  of  New-York,  or  about  one  pauper  to 
every  288  of  the  inhabitants.    Of  this  number,  1,742  were  in  the 
city  of  New- York  alone.   A  vast  number  of  paupers  from  Europe 
are  dishonestly  thrown  upon  the  shores  of  this  country. 


308 


lit ''' .  vi 
'^H'  "I 


i^'j.'^' 


{'■^ 


BALTIMORE. 


able.  The  difference  is  to  be  ascribed  to  the  want 
of  paint,  and  to  the  greater  activity  of  business  in  the 
latter  place.  We  found  here,  as  indeed  on  most  of 
our  recent  route,  excellent  inns,  and  took  up  our 
abode  for  several  days.* 

I  saw  in  this  city,  for  the  first  time  since  my  arri- 
yal,  a  naonument  erected  to  Washington.  It  is  a 
noble  column,  in  stone,  and  is  admirably  placed  on 
elevated  ^ound,  in  what  is  now  a  suburb,  but  which 
1  believe  it  is  intended  shall  one  day  become  a  public 
square.  The  Want  of  these  squares  is  a  great  defect 
in  all  tiie  cities  I  have  seen,  though  it  is  one  which 
will  soon  be  repaired.  The  plans  of  most  of  them 
embrace  more  or  less  areas  of  the  sort,  and  some  of 
them  are  already  beginning  to  be  enjoyed.  There  is 
also  another  monument,  in  very  good  taste,  to  per- 
petuate the  memory  of  those  citizens  who  fell  in  a 
skirmish  with  the  British,  during  the  last  war,  in  de- 
fence  of  this  city.    The  whole  number  was  not  great, 

fr™l.  ^u'*^  ""'  f^"*^  "^'^^^^  I  believe,)  but  it  was 
thought  their  quality  gave  them  a  particular  claim  on 
the  gratitude  of  their  townsmen. 

You  may  remember  that  General  Ross,  after  his 
successful  attack  on  Washington,  made  a  movement 
threatening  Baltimore.  Your  countrymen  possessed 
an  mcalculable  advantage  in  the  command  of  the 
sea,  by  means  of  which  they  not  only  directed  their 
attacks  against  the  most  defenceless  points,  but  thev 
were  always  enabled  to  keep  their  adversaries  in  an 


thli^""!  ^o?^^  ^^  ^*'f"'^*^  of  the  great  amount  of  travellinff  in 
the  United  States  by  the  size  of  the  inns.     One  was  buiidinf  " 

f««l  T''  ^^^^^V''^  ^"t\r  ^«ft  America,  which  promised  to^ei" 
k  a  vL'^a-r^  ^'  remembers.     The  City  Hotel,  in  New- York, 
w  a  vast  edifice;  and,  m  a  great  number  of  the  western  villaffes 
the  writer  saw  taverns  that  were  as  large  as  many  of  the  pS 

.r^okenVJTZ^'''''  '°"'^«*^«''  ^-  neverTbfndantf  and 
are  oiten  bad.  this  Hinni-nnnw;<^n  k..* *!„.  .  1   . 

guerts  and  the  attendants  is  a  striking  fault. 


to  the  want 
liness  in  the 
on  most  of 
ok  up  our 


ce  my  arri- 
1.  It  is  a 
^  placed  on 
but  which 
ne  a  public 
;reat  defect 
one  which 
st  of  theno 
ad  some  of 
There  is 
te,  to  per- 
lo  fell  in  a 
var,  in  de- 
i  not  great, 
but  it  was 
IT  claim  on 

i,  after  his 
movement 
possessed 
nd  of  the 
cted  their 
,  but  they 
iries  in  an 


travelling  in 
I  building  in 
raised  to  ex- 
New-York» 
jrn  villages, 
>f  the  Paris 
mdant,  and 
aber  of  the 


ATTEMPT    OP    THE    ENGLISH.  309 

embarrassing  ignorance  of  their  force  Th„«  .k  . 
the  penod  of  the  exneilMn.,  tl  w  k5"  ""''  *''°''' 
the  journals  of  that'^dat""'„^''''""S""'' '  »«*''  by 

America  that  LXd  I'l  "IhT'°\  ^''^i^*''^''  « 
war,  had  sent  r  „fi  ??'ii       •  ^^  ^"""  •>«■•  European 

com^andeTwereinTl^or'''"***,  "?"''*»  »' y""' 
that  seemed  sT^lr^  protbll'"  tZ!'^''  ™"'°"' 
that  their  ignorance '^f  the  forcI^f^^"'T.I''y' 
alone  saved^im  from  destr'uctn"  "'  *^*"*'''"'  ^"^ 

than  wShiZr  aXil'h  .T*  '"'P"^"'  f'^^ 
an  army  of  dtLens    ThT   u,  ^^  8"''^"  *»  "^'Uect 

a  hot  sLmisTbetweel  '  l!it  "^T  *'""•"'"«''  '" 

wedKiiess.    A  bombardment  of  a  fort,  which  wa«  ^^ 
fended  by  regular  troops,  proved  also^toTal,^^^^^^^^ 

fo^'t::c?xtiz^L^^^^^^     of  expia;;;;;^^ 

faas  ever  been  successful!  ^K^^.?  American  fort  by  «hip., 
nally  defeated.  The  readeT  of  a1^  "^^  "u"™^^''  ^^«  been  Big. 
the  affairs  of  Fort  M^ultTo  ForT  mS'  ^T7t  ^"^^^"  ^^^h 
but  where  is  he  to  finTS  ^ve^Ie^ftS  ^°'/  ^Tl^,^''-  &°- ' 
has  heard  more  than  onroroflSn-i  P'"'*"'"^  •    ^^«  ^"^er 

possible  for  ships  to  red,icrfoA?S^^  ''  J?*  ""'  ^"" 

«tance6)  as  it  is  for  forts  to  sMn  ih^  tolerably  equal  circum- 
voured  by  wind  and  tide  Tlf^  ^  ^^'^^^  ""^  "^^P"  ^^^»  «^- 
humanit/,  since  one  should  II ways  S  It""''  T  ^ «**""^  *« 

fisriRoinlNr  ,..»,„^  ♦l._..  j^   "^liways  wish  success  to  the  njiflnno/l 


310 


RESIDENCE    AT    BALTIMORE. 


We  have  been  pleased  with  our  residence  at  Bal- 
timore. It  contains  a  great  many  polished  and  en- 
lightened men ;  and  perhaps,  there  is  no  part  of  this 
Union  where  society  is  more  elegant,  or  the  women 
handsomer.  The  latter  circumstance  soothed  my 
feelings  during  the  delay  of  a  fortnight. — ^Adieu. 


the  victory  was  over  a  flotilla  rather  than  over  the  batteries. 
The  destruction  of  the  little  work  on  the  Potomac,  when  the 
British  ascended  that  river,  was  clearly  an  evacuation  and  not  a 
defeat,  and  was  decided  on  from  an  exaggerated  notion  of  the 
power  of  the  troops  in  its  rear,  and  not  at  all  in  consequence  of 
the  marine  attack.    It  was  abandoned  at  the  first  shot 


NOTES. 


NOTE  A.~~Page  6. 

tl.r  \  ""^f  1  y"*^  ^  explanation,"  my  friend  continued,  after 

hrveZLte^''^"^^"^'y'  "^?^'^«  ^i"^«  interest  tharl 
ftave  manifested  m  your  persevering  attempts  to  obtain  such 
Engl^h  works  as  may  form  a  preparation  L  your  SiTend^ 
travels  m  America.  I  wiU  make  no  further  secret  oTthe 
cause,  and  when  you  hear  my  sentiments  on  thTmatter,  I 
l^ink  you  will  learn  those  which  are  common  to  a  very  Seat 
majority  of  my  countrymen.  ^  ^ 

of 'fdw  S^'^JT  ^  ^^"^  into  manhood,  that  bitterness 
wards  rlT.B^'*  been  created  m  the  United  States  to- 
Jreatlv^nSLy^'"'  ^X  ^^^  ?*^^^^^  ^^  *^«  revolution,  had 
f^\u!!^^'^Hl?  return  of  the  kindness  which  was  natu- 
ral to  affinity  of  blood,  and  to  a  community  of  lanffuage, 
Z?h''  ^^,^P"^^«"«-     Our  object  in  the  wa/  had  betn  ob- 
S«;in^/Jf "  r  :?,l^'^^^  f°  »*«  «^e"t«'  it  was  rather  with 
np^iif  P^^"^  hostility,     i^icenes  of  personal  suffering,  and 
perhaps  of  personal  wrongs,  were  forgotten  in  the  geAeral 
prosperity.     It  is  not  necessary  to  ascribe  any  peculiar  qual- 
ities of  magnanimity,  or  of  Christian  charity,  to  the  American 
S^^«S  %^''  *^,T^t*i«  that  fewer  mstaluces  of  a^eroS 
and  maiJy  forgetfuhiess  can  be  furnished  in  the  history  of 
nations,  than  what  they  generaUy  manifested  towards  their 
former  rulers      The  past  presenter  recollectionr  on  which 

S  rhr„,o«  ''^"T^'  *^/^^"'  x^^i^^  t^^  ^"ture  was  replete 
with  the  most  animating  hopes.   In  such  an  enviable  position, 

constituted  to  find  pleasure  m  the  contemplation  of  any  but 
otJj^'fVu  P"*^  of  human  character.  We  gave  the  Erilish 
credit  for  the  possession  of  all  those  virtues,  which,  in  Se 
weakness  of  natural  vanity,  we  are  fond  of  ascrSSg  to  our- 
selves. There  were  few  exceUencies  on  which  we  groiSided 
our  own  national  pride,  that  we  were  disposed  to  deny  them. 
It  would  have  been  difficult  to  ascribe  different  resu  te  to 
causes  whose  influence  was  thought  to  be  felt  bv  the  two  n«. 
lions  m  common.  They  were  brave,  for  they  were  free ; 
they  were  virtuous,  for  they  were  religious ;  and  they  were 
rehgious,  because  we  worshipoed  before  the  same  altars.    In 


312 


NOTES. 


Ml"-' 
H 


,/i 


II 


M 


our  eyes,  there  was  perfection  in  their  literature  and  arts,  for 
if  it  did  not  exist  there,  it  Ayas  a  stranger  to  us,  since  we 
knew  no  other.     In  short,  as  our  triumph  was  indisputable, 
we  could  afford  to  forget  the  recent  feud,  and  we  were  fond 
of  cherishing  the  present  amity,  since,  with  all  the  feelings  of 
a  reading  and  highly  civilized  people,  we  delighted  in  the 
glory  of  our  fathers.   Had  we  churlishly  denied  our  connexion 
with  that-of  England,  we  should  have  left  ourselves  without 
an  ancestry.  So  very  deeply  was  this  sentiment  engrafted  in 
our  opinions,  it  might  ahnost  be  said  in  our  natures,  that,  with 
some  exceptions  that  grew  out  of  the  opposition  of  internal 
politics,  most  of  our  sympathies  were  with  the  English,  in  the 
fierce  struggle  that  soon  agitated  Christendom.  We  exulted 
in  her  successes  over  the  arms  of  a  people  who  had  lent  us 
their  treasure,  and  shed  the  blood  of  their  brave  in  the  quarrel 
which  gave  us  a  rank  among  the  nations  of  the  world.     A 
momentary  and  heedless  enthusiasm,  which  manifested  itself 
m  favour  of  the  French  at  the  commencement  of  their  revo- 
'Ji??'  t^^^®^"  checked  in  the  government  by  the  steadiness 
ot  Washmgton,  and  had  early  been  suppressed  in  the  people, 
by  the  excesses  into  which  the  leaders  of  that  revolution  suf- 
tered  themselves  to  be  hurried.  Without  reflecting  how  much 
ot  the  merit  of  evidence  must  depend  on  the  character  of  indi- 
yiduals,  we  gave  credit  to  the  official  documents  of  England, 
to  the  prejudice  of  all  others;  and,  removed  ourselves  from 
the  necessity  of  political  deception,  or  of  matured  misrepre- 
sentation, we  refused  to  believe  it  could  exist  in  a  people  who 
affirmed  what  they^had  to  promulge,  not  only  in  our  language 
but  with  all  those  forms  with  which  we  had  ourselves  so  long 
been  accustomed  to  add  solemnity  and  weight  to  the  truth 
Destitute  of  a  literature  of  our  own,  but  rich  in  the  possession 
ot  that  which  we  derived  from  our  ancestors,  we  were  con- 
tent to  submit  our  minds  to  the  contirjued  domination  of  wri- 
ter, on  whom  it  was  believed  that  the  mantle  of  Elijah  had 
rested  m  virtue  of  their  birth-right.     So  far  as  Europe  was 
concerned,  for  many  years  after  the  peace  of  1783,  the  grea* 
mass  of  the  American  people  saw  with  English  eyesf  and 
judged  with  English  prejudices.    This  was  a  fearful  position 
to  be  occupied  by  a  nation  whose  policy  is  so  greatly  con- 
trolled by  the  mfluence  of  public  opinion.    Tt  was  one  which 
could  not  peacefully  continue,  in  the  actual  condition  of  the 
world. 

^  '^  To  me  the  gloomy  period  of  1792  is  almot^  a  matter  of 
x^istofy.  ,i  mild  and  reflecting  people,  who,  in  their  own  case, 
had  known  so  well  how  to  temper  resistance  to  oppression, 
could  not  long  sympathize  in  the  movements  of  men  who 


and  arts,  for 
us,  since  we 
ndisputable, 
e  were  fond 
e  feelings  of 
hted  in  the 
ir  connexion 
ives  without 
sngrafted  in 
8,  that,  with 
of  internal 
glish,  in  the 
We  exulted 
had  lent  us 
the  quarrel 
world.     A 
fested  itself 
their  revo- 
3  steadiness 
the  people, 
olution  suf- 
r  how  much 
cter  of  indi- 
f  England, 
selves  from 
3  misrepre- 
people  who 
r  language 
ves  so  long 
the  truth, 
possession 
i  were  con- 
;ion  of  wri- 
Elijah  had 
Europe  was 
,  the  great 
eyes,  and 
ful  position 
reatly  con- 
one  which 
tion  of  the 

matter  of 
'  own  case, 
)ppression, 

men  who 


NOTES. 


31i 


affected  to  think  that  liberty  could  only  be  propitiated  by  ob- 
lations of  innocent  blood.  Particular  services  to  ourselves 
were  forgotten  in  the  general  offences  against  justice  and 
humanity.  I  have  heard  that  the  brief  ardour  which  had 
been  excited  in  favour  of  the  French  was  succeeded  by  the 
coldness  of  disappointment.  It  is  more  than  probable  that 
the  reaction  hastened  the  renewal  of  those  ancient  attach- 
ments to  which  I  have  ailuded,  and  which  certainly  existed, 
in  the  greatest  force,  at  the  time  to  which  my  personal  recol- 
lections distinctly  extend. 

"  Although  the  struggles  of  domestic  politics  had,  in  some 
measure,  created  a  sort  of  opposition  to  English  supremacy 
it  was  altogether  too  feeble  to  shake  the  deep-rooted  and 
confidmg  faith  of  the  nation.   There  was  so  much  that  was 
true,  blended  with  a  great  deal  that  was  ideal  in  our  admira- 
tion of  Enghsh  character,  and,  more  than  all,  there  was  so 
much  which,  admirable  or  not,  resembled  ourselves,  that  it 
was  not  easy  to  depreciate  jts  merits.   Detractors  were  heard, 
it  IS  true ;  but  they  either  declaimed  with  vulgar  coarseness, 
or  uttered  their  opinions  so  feebly,  as  to  leave  reasonable 
doubts  of  their  own  sincerity.     This  extraordinary  mental 
bondage  continued,  with  no  very  important  interruption,  dur- 
ing the  first  ten  years  of  the  present  century.     The  amicable 
feelings  of  the  nation  had,  indeed,  suffered  some  violent  shocks 
by  the  operation  of  the  foreign  policy  of  Great  Britain,  the 
effects  of  which  were  as  unceasingly  proclaimed  by  one  po- 
litical party  of  our  country,  as  were  those  of  the  decrees  of 
Napoleon  by  the  other.     But  the  hostility  they  created, was 
directed  rather  to  the  English  ministry  than  to  the  nation. 
It  IS  no  small  evidence  of  the  extent  of  our  prejudice,  that, 
while  the  maritime  condemnations  of  the  English,  though 
conducted  with  all  the  pomp  of  gown  and  wig,  were  mainly 
imputed  to  the  cupidity  of  individuals,  those  of  Napoleon, 
which  were  effected  by  a  nod  of  his  head  and  the  agency  of 
a  few  ^ens  d'armes,  were,  with  as  little  hesitation,  ascribed 
to  the  established  perfidy  of  the  French  character !  Had  not 
England  herself  disturbed  this  mental  ascendancy,  I  do  not 
see  any  plausible  reason  why  it  might  not  have  continued  to 
the  present  hour.   The  jealousy  of  a  sensitive  rivalry,  how- 
ever, began  to  manifest  itself  prematurely ;  and  as  an  unrea- 
sonable desire  of  exercising,  unduly,  her  political  dominion 
over  the  colonies  precipitated  a  separation  of  the  two  coun- 

hasten  a  mental  emancipation  that  might  easily  have  been 
deferred,  until  at  least  the  numbers  and  importance  of  the 
American  people  had  borne  them  beyond  tlie  possibilitv  of 
Vol.  I.  E  e 


I 


314 


NOTES. 


I   4 


;h      1 


"■aTTT' 


'1 


frreigii  influence.     I  think  that  this  jealousy  may  be  dividetf 
mto  two  classes— that  of  calculation,  and  that  of  feeling. 
The  qmck-sighted  and  practised  merchants  of  England  were 
not  slow  to  discover  that  there  was  reason  to  apprehend  a 
nval  m  a  nation  who  possessed,  in  addition  to  all  their  ho- 
reditary  aptitude  and  knowledge,  such  rare,  natural,  commer- 
cial advantages.   Though  not  fond  of  admitting  the  fact,  thev 
could  not  deny,  even  to  themselves,  tl>at  the  very  absence  of 
personal  restraint,  whidh,  by  giving  energy  and  interest  to 
the  efforts  of  individuals,  had  accumulated  the  commercial 
grandeur  of  their  own  empire,  was  possessed  by  the  infant 
republics  to  a  degree  that  was  hitherto  unknown  in  the  annals 
ot  the  civilized    world.   The  politicians  of  England  found 
leisure,  even  amid  the  cares  of  their  great  European  strug- 
gle, to  turn  their  attention  to  a  subject  that  is  ever  considered 
by  her  statesmen  with  the  watchfulness  with  which  we  re- 
gard the  most  remote  assaults  on  the  materials  of  our  ex- 
istence.    Had  it  not  been  their  present  interests  to  retain  us 
as  customers,  it  is  probable  that  the  efforts  of  tlie  English 
ministry  to  curtail  our  growing  prosperity,  would  have  been 
Jar  more  decisive  and  manifest.     It  is  thought,  too,  that  for  a 
long  time  they  were  deluded  with  the  futile  hope  of  seeine 
our  growing  power  weakened  by  a  dissolution  of  the  confed- 
eracy ;  a  movement  that  would  have  left  us  with  all  our  wants 
and  with  a  lessened  ability  to  furnish  them  with  a  domestic' 
supply.     There  was,  also,  a  period  of  political  alarm  when 
the  aristocracy  of  England  trembled  for  its  ascendancy.  The 
spectacle  of  a  democratic  government,  existing  on  an  ex- 
tended scale,  could  not,  in  ouch  a  crisis,  find  favour  in  their 
eyes.     The  greater  its  success,  the  greater  was  its  offence 
VTS     ri^T^  prophetic  opinions  which  had  early  predicted 
Its  tall.    Though  a  large  proportion,  even  of  the  hereditary 
counsellors  of  England,  were  exclusively  occupied  with  the 
more  momentous  concerns  of  the  hour,  or  wilfully  shut  their 
eyes  on  a  perspective  which  presented  so  few  objects  of  ffrat- 
ification,  some  there  were  too  sagacious  and  too  reasoning 
not  to  see  that  the  diffusion  of  intelligence,  to  which  thev 
owed  their  own  national  supremacy,  was  in  danger  of  beina 
exceeded,  and  that  too  from  a  quarter  of  the  world  which  the? 
^  had  been  accustomed  to  regard  with  the  complacency  of  ac- 
knowledged  superiors.     Still,  circumstances  beyond  their 
control  admitted  of  no  measures  likely  to  retard  the  event 
they  deprecated.  The  States  of  America  were  therefore  kent 

as  much  nia    nncaihlo    «nf    ^P  .- j       vx^  ncpc 

ir^Aitv r-    ••»'-  -'U^  v^x  view,  ui  vvuru  regardea  with  an 

indifterence  m  which  there  was  much  more  of  affectation  than 
ot  reality.    In  this  state  of  things,  a  deep,  settled  aversion  to 


\ ,' 


lay  be  divide*! 
at  of  feeling. 
B^ngland  were 

apprehend  a 
>  all  their  hc- 
ural,  commer- 
the  fact,  thejF 
ry  absence  of 
id  interest  to 
B  commercial 
by  the  infant 

in  the  annals 
ngland  found 
ropean  strug- 
er  considered 
kvhich  we  re^ 
Is  of  our  ex- 
i  to  retain  us 

tlte  English 
Id  have  been 
oo,  that  for  a 
•pe  of  seeing 
f  the  confeti- 
ill  our  wants, 
li  a  domestic 

alarm  when 
idancy.  The 
g  on  an  ex- 
our  in  their 
5  its  offence 
'ly  predicted 
e  hereditary 
ed  with  tlie 
ly  shut  their 
ects  of  grat- 

0  reasoning 
which  they 
'er  of  being 

1  which  they 
ency  of  ac- 
jyond  their 
I  the  event 
jrefore  kept 
3ed  with  an 
station  than 
aversion  to 


NOTES. 


315 


America  grew  m  the  minds  of  that  portion  of  the  Enghsh 
community  who  possessed  sufficient  knowledge  to  be  awaie 
ot  her  existence  at  all,  or  who  did  not  believe  us  a  people  too 
msignificant  for  attention.     If  there  were  any  exceptions  to 
this  rule,  they  were  no  more  than  the  members  of  a  class  of 
philanthropists  which,  unhappily,  bears,  in  all  countries,  too 
iimited  a  proportion  to  the  mass  of  mankind.     In  a  nation 
where  pens  are  so  active,  there  is  but  a  brief  interval  between 
the  conception  of  an  idea  and  its  publication.     By  referring 
to  the  daily  and  periodical  journals  of  the  country,  you  will 
hnd  that  whenever  it  was   thought  necessary  to  mention 
America,  it  was  invariably  done  in  terms  of  disparagement 
and  reproach.    It  is  even  said  that  the  government  of  an  em- 
pire  that  boasts  itself  to  be  the  most  enlightened  and  mag- 
hanimous  m  the  world,  not  only  employed  mercenary  pens  to 
vituperate,    m  periodical  journals  of  the  most  pretendinff 
character,  a  people  they  affected  to  despise,   but  that  it 
sought  Itinerant  circulators  of  calumny,  who  journeyed,  or 
pretended  to  journey  through  our  States,  in  order  to  discover 
and  to  expose  the  nakedness  of  the  land.   The  latter  circura- 
stance  I  ana  inclined  to  discredit,  for  I  cannot  think  that  any 
il«nglish  ministry  would  have  had  the  weakness  to  bestow 
their  money  where  there  was  so  little  talent  to  invite  reward. 
Of  the  former  I  shall  say  no  more  than  that  it  is  implicitly 
believed  by  many  enhghtened  men  in  America,  an*',  that  if  it 
be  not  true,  it  is  unfortunate  that  more  care  had  not  been 
taken  to  avoid  the  grounds  of  a  suspicion  that  seems  so 
plausible.     Here,  then,  you  have  the  remarkable  spectacle 
ot  two  people  of  a  common  origin,  and  possessing,  in  common, 
so  many  of  the  governing  principles  which  decide  character 
Srlf  ^".        P®''^^'  *^^^^  ^"  ^y  directly  contrary  influences 
While  the  American  was  fondly,  and,  one  might  say,  blindly 
chngmg  to  his  ancient  attachments,  his  {^vances  were  mti 
by  jealousy,  or  repelled  by  contempt.    Whatever  may  be  the 
future  consequences  of  this  unnatural  repulse,  America  has 
no  reason  to  lament  its  occurrence.     It  has  already  relieved 
her  from  the  thraldom  of  mental  bondage.     So  generally  and 
so  forcibly  IS  this  truth  felt,  that  while  the  war  of '76  is  called 
the  war  of  the  revolution,  that  of  '12  is  emphatically  termed 
the  war  of  independence.   It  is  beyond  a  doubt  that,  as  there 
were  m  America  men  of  spirits  too  lofty,  and  of  an  intelU- 
gence  too  enhghtened  not  to  have  rebeUed  against  the  besot- 
ted dependence  of  their  countrymen  on  fbreifrn  opinion,  ?« 
there  were  in  England  philanthropists  too  pure'and  too  geiie- 
rous  not  to  rejoice  m  any  human  prosperity.   But  these  were 
iio  more  than  exceptions  to  those  ^reneral  rules  which  marked 


I* 


316 


NOTES. 


.  '    it'' 


:,t 


M 


i- 

f 

^ 

J' 

HM^jtAigi^' 

■ 

■ 

the  feelings  and  opinions  of  the  two  nations,  so  far  as  those 
of  England  were  at  all  active  in  the  matter.     I  sav  active 

that  nat.on  neither  thmk  nor  care  in  the  lealt  about  a  peJple 
so  remote,  and  who  have  never  acted  a  conspicuous  part  in 
the  struggles  of  their  own  hemisphere.  Indeed,  the  Amer- 
ican conscious  of  the  possession  of  physical  advantages  which 

r.^^^Z'^'l  ?K  l\'  "^^"^'^^  *^^'  ^^'•^^^y  vicissitudes,  and 
finn  m  the  behef  that  he  enjoys  a  higher  state  of  moral  ex- 
istence than  any  other  people  whatever,  little  suspects,  even 
^nZ:  .^"^  c?f  Pletely  his  country  is  without  the  pale  of  Euro- 
pean thought.  A  vigorous  and  intellectual  population  of 
twelve  millions  must  ever  force  itself  on  the  notice  of  states- 

•    r?'    T:^^^^  ^^^  ^''^^  ^^  ascertained,  I  do  believe  it  would 
be  found  that  three  out  of  four  of  the  hihabitants  of  Europe 

fhif^'j;  \^  '^?  "^^  r^^  ^^''^^^^  ^^  barbarous  manners,  but 
that  we  have,  to  say  tlie  least,  but  doubtful  claims  to  be  com- 
puted  among  the  descendants  of  Japhet  at  aU.  The  proofs 
of  this  opmion  have  often  occurred  to  me  during  my  travels 
nor  are  you,  my  dear  -_-,  the  only  European  of  education; 
ZL  Ta'  '^^''}'^^  *'^^^  ™^  '^"^y  fl^^en  hair  and  blue  eyes 
^f  KtlantTcf ""  '""'^  «f  physical  anomaly  on  the  other  ide 

«Mr.  Hodgson  says,  he  was  assured  by  an  intelligent 
American,  that  had  a  man,  like  Wilberforce,  traveHed  aS 
us  and  given  to  the  world  a  fair  and  honest  account  of  thS 
state  of  society  he  saw,  the  war  of  1812  would  have  been 

wiiters  of  England  dipt  their  pens  too  deep  in  gall.  Thev 
overacted  their  parts,  and  the  consequence  must  flu  where  {t 
w^Ani  r"  onjy  say,  as  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  who 
not  only  loves,  but,  stmnge  as  you  may  think  it,  who  dories 
m  his  couiitry,  that  if  such  were  the  power  of  that  exfellent 
friend  of  humanity  I  rejoice  he  did  not  exert  it.  Though  no 
nf  TJ^'i'^n  ^^l^'^t?"^  in  which  that  war  was  conceived,  nor 
of  the  skiU  with  which  It  was  conducted,  I  should  be  blind  to 
palpable  truths,  did  I  not  see  that  it  has  left  my  coun  "y  n 
the  occupancy  of  a  station  more  worthy  of  her  real  power 
and  true  character,  than  the  equivocal  condition  from  which 
siie  emerged. 

«  With  my  opinions,  then,  of  the  chnracter  of  most  of  the 
works  which  form  your  travelling  librarv,  you  cannot  be  sur- 
prised  that^I  had  so  little  desire  to  read  them      The  contents 

...   ,,.^m,  nunGvcr,  urualreaay  jch'jwm  to  me.     It 

would  be  vain  to  deny  that  they  contain  man,,  disagreeable 
truths,  for  It  would  be  arrogating  to  ourselves  a  perfection 


%m 


NOTES. 


)  fnr  as  those 
I  say  active, 
t  majority  of 
•out  a  people 
uous  part  in 
i,  the  Amer- 
itages  which 
ssitudes,  and 
)f  moral  ex- 
ispeets,  even 
ale  of  Euro- 
ipulation  of 
30  of  states- 
eve  it  would 
s  of  Europe 
lanners,  but 
3  to  be  com- 
The  proofs 
my  travels ; 
f  education, 
id  blue  eyes 
e  other  side 

intelligent 
jHed  among- 
3unt  of  the 

have  been 
!  periodical 
gall.  They 
all  where  it 
States,  who 
vho  glories 
it  excellent 
Though  no 
ceived,  nor 
be  blind  to 
country  in 
real  power 
rom  which 

lost  of  the 
lot  be  sur- 
e  contents 
o  me.  It 
■^'agreeable 
perfectioi* 


317 


which  exists  nowhere,  to  say  that  a  traveller  of  ordinary  ca- 
pacity, who  journeys  with  a  view  to  find  fault,  should  be 
baffled  of  his  object  in  the  States  of  America,  alone.     Still, 
in  most  of  the  cases  where  I  am  willing  to  believe  there  did 
exist,  on  the  part  of  the  writers,  a  fair  proportion  of  honest 
intention,  there  was  so  much  utter  incapacity  to  judge  of  a 
state  of  society  to  which  they  were  worse  than  strangers, 
that  their  opinions  may  safely  be  considered  little  better  than 
worthlesH.     It  is  often  said  that  we  are  the  subjects  of  a 
peculiarly  exacting  national  vanity,  and  that  nothing  short  of 
eulogies  will  ever  meet  with  a  favourable  reception  among 
us.   The  good  opinion  which  nations  entertain  of  themselves, 
is  far  from  being  limited  to  America,  though  it  is  not  difficult 
to  understand  that  our  pretensions  should  be  particularly 
offensive  to  a  peopJe,  who  have  so  long  claimed  an  exclusive 
right  to  those  very  properties  on  which  we  ground  our  pride. 
This  vanity  is  imputed  to  us,  however,  chiefly  because  it  is 
thought  that,  in  contemplating  the  future,  expectation  out- 
runs probability  too  far.     If  it  be  meant  that  the  people  of 
the  United  States  anticipate  more  for  their  country  than  what 
reason  and  experience  will  justify,  I  do  not  believe  it.     On 
the  contrary,  I  think  that  nine  out  of  ten  of  mankind,  there, 
as  elsewhere,  fail  in  the  ability  to  estimate  the  probable,  and 
speedy  importance  too,  of  our  country  in  the  scale  of  nations. 
Your  author,  Mr.  Hodgson,  after  a  tolerably  close  inspection 
of  our  means,  frankly  admits,  that,  were  he  an  American,  his 
hopes  would  greatly  outstrip  those  of  the  natives  with  whom 
he  conversed.     But,  if  it  be  meant  that  the  American  often 
faih,  in  manner,  when  ho  is  disposed  to  draw  a  comparison 
between  the  prospects  of  his  own  country,  and  those  of  other 
people,  I  think  nothing  is  more  probable.    It  is  quite  evident, 
that  the  greater  the  truth  of  these  predictions,  the  heavier  is 
the  offence  against  the  comity  of  intercourse.     A  large  ma- 
jority of  those  whose  voices  are  loudest  on  this  theme,  are 
men  of  a  class  that,  in  other  nations,  would  either  be  too 
ignorant  to  indulge  in  any  rational  speculations  on  the  future 
at  all,  or  too  much  engaged  in  providing  for  the  wants  of  the 
hour,  to  waste  their  breath  on  a  subject  that  did  not  teem 
with  instant  profit.   But,  in  what  degree  is  this  oflfence  pecu- 
liar to  Americans,  except  as  hope  is  more  grateful  than  recol- 
lection ?    I  have  fifty  times  listened  to  the  most  self-compla- 
cent and  sweeping  claims  to  national  superiority,  that  were 
uttered  by  Englishmen,  and  by  Englishmen  of  rank,  too,  who 
should  at  least  have  had  the  taste  to  conceal  their  exultation 
in  the  presence  of  a  foreigner.     I  apprehend  that  we  are 
sinned  against  quite  as  much  as  we  sin  in  this  particular.  No 

Ee? 


318 


NOTES. 


gentleman  can  deny  that  the  coaree  deinandu  of  general  su- 
periority  are  alike  offensive  to  taete  and  breed^ff  Thev 
have  created  a  disgust  in  the  minds  of  the  more  intelhirent 
classes    who  often,  in  the  spirit  of  distaste,  oppose  the  very 

thanthatthey  find  them  oppressive  by  the  freedom  with  which 
they  are  urged.     But  vanity  is  the  foible  of  age  in  communi 
ties  as  It  IS  of  youth  in  individuals.  We  have  not  yet  rTched 
that  period  of  national  dotage.     There  is  htt^if  he  past 
however,  of  vvh  ch  England  can  fairly  boast,  in  which  aS 
ica  may  not  claim  to  participate.    The  arms  of  our  ancestors 
were  wielded  in  her  most  vaulted  fields;  the  geniuses  of 
Shakspeare  and  Milton  were  awakened  in  the  bosom  of  a.o- 
cie  y  irom  which  we  received  our  impressions,  and  if  libertv 
??lij  ^^""^T  ^'""  transmitted  to  us  from  the  days  of 
Hampden  and  Bacon,  we  have  not  received  them  as  boons 
but   aken  them  as  the  portions  of  a  birthright.    Glorious  and 
ample  as  has  been  our  Lritage,  we  challenge  the  keen-eved 
and  ready  criticism  of  the  rest^f  the  world,  to  decide  whether 
we  have  imitated  the  example  of  the  prodigal  son.    And  yet' 

lin?  .P-^'""'"f  *^  *  P'^P'^'  t«  value  tfemselves  on  any 
thing,  It  18  surely  more  reasonable  to  exult  in  the  cheering 
prospects  of  a  probable  fiiture,  than  to  turn  their  eVthrough 
the  perspective  of  recollections,  in  quest  of  a  sickly  renown 
from  the  past.  The  greatness  of  the  ancestor  may,  and  does 
often,  prove  a  reproach  to  him  who  would  claim  a  vain  dTs! 
tmction  from  circumstances  that  he  could  not  have  controlled 

foSndatfnr^f 'r^'  '^'."^i:  r^  J"^^^y  P«i»t  ^ith  pride   o  the 
toundations  of  glory  which  his  own  hand  has  laid. 

Jl    f  T  ^''"^  ^^^^  i^*"!^"^'  "«  ^^^«  than  calculation,  formed 
one  of  the  causes  of  the  calumny  England  has  undenkWv 
heaped  upon  America.     The  operation  of  thl  dishke  L  a« 
various  and  characteristic,  as  were  the  pursuits  and  humours 
of  Its  subjects.    It  was  an  offence  against  the  geographical 
sovereignty  which  marks  England  |r  the  seafJeSe 
to  the  prejudice  of  Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Wales,  to  presume 
to  renounce  her  dominion  at  all.     It  was  andis,acoSt 
offence  to  aristocracy  every  where,  to  exhibit  an  insLncl  "f 
a  prosperous  and  happy  democracy.     It  was  a  bitter  offence 
against  the  hierarchical  estabhshment,  to  demonstrate  that 
rel^on  and  order,  and  morals,  could  exist  without  its  aM 
and  It  was  an  offence  to  the  pride  of  that  numerous  class 
r??u!"l'^!f,^^  ?"  b^'"^  the  bravest,  because  the  freest  oeonTp' 
...  .xx^  «aii;j,  10  argue  at  tiie  bayonet's  point,  that  there  wa^ 
another  quite  as  brave,  who  was  determined  to  be  a  liS 
more  free.    To  the  American,  the  different  expedients  which 


r  general  gu- 
iding.   They 
re  intelligent 
>ose  the  very 
other  reason 
n  with  which 
in  communi- 
t  yet  reached 
in  the  past, 
vhich  Amer- 
ur  ancestors 
geniuses  of 
•som  of  a  so- 
ld if  liberty 
the  days  of 
fn  as  boons, 
iloriouB  and 
e  keen-eyed 
ide  whether 
1.    And  yet, 
ves  on  any 
le  cheering 
yes  tlirough 
kJy  renown 
i.y,  and  docs 
a  vain  dis- 
I  controlled, 
aride  to  the 

ion,  formed 
undeniably 
islike  is  as 
id  humours 
iographical 
of  empire, 
^o  presume 
a  constant 
nstance  of 
ter  offence 
itrate  thai 
lit  its  aid ; 
•ous  class, 
est  people 
there  waa 
36  a  little 
nts  which 


NOTES. 


319 


have  been  adopted  to  disprove,  or  to  undervalue  these  advan- 
ages    are  no    without  amusement.     Our  governmen    h^ 
been  termed  imbecUe,  for  no  better  reason  than  that  it  did 
not  possess  the  power  to  suppress  evils  which  have  no  ei 

powrrVX?in";^'^^^^^^^^  ''''''  P"««^-  the  i^e^timab^ 
power  ot  adapting  itself  to  circumstances,  without  endan.r«r 

defied  rth^"  '[  *'^  ^''^".^^-     ^-  -^-"«  ^-eTen 
utr  ded,  tor  the  simple  cause  that  they  differed,  and  that  too 

perhaps,  less  than  might  be  wished,  from  their  own  whUe 
(trnrT  f '  K '  ^'T  ^'^^  '^  ™«^«1 1°  the  rest  orEurope 

cent  Zud7^""Vr'^'  '^""."^^^  ''  ^'  '^'^^y  disturbed,  e^x: 
cept  by  the  ileves  of  her  own  disciplined  system,  and  our  rp 
li^non  ,eoffed  at,  though,  I  think,  k  reference  To  ^he  use  of 
hgures  would  demonstrate  that  while  (since  the  senarationl 
heir  peculiar  faith  has  been  on  a  comparative  decreas^e  amon  J 
JlfZr'  \".f«"««q"ence  of  the  opposition  created  by  thi 
establ,shment,it  has,  with  us,  been  on  a  comparative  increase 
because  men  seldom  fail  to  confess  the  merits  of  that  whTch 
IS  not  too  violently  obtruded  on  their  notice. 

the  cmestfo^nf^  ^'"''^^  ^J!?-^^'  "^^^^  "^^^^^^  of  disposing  of 
tie  question  of  our  unworthmess,  is  by  keeping  America  en- 

\fy  «"\f>*  view.     To  this  hour,  and  with^aU  the  facts 

naroV?alent"''i'' ''''' T''  ^^^^^  ^^y^  ^^  ^^^^  ^"'Uou  " 
nals  of  talent  and  reputation,  that  England  is  the  freest 

s?n'"^.'^^'rlr'J  Y°"  ""^y  «^«  ^^'  claims  to  ph  knthronv 
tSl  .  ^^  ^\  ^T^  '^^^  '^^  "^^^  the  first  to  dSy  the 
traffic  in  human  flesh ;  and  her  distinguished  statesmen  hav^ 
not  hesitated  to  affirm,  in  the  face  ot' Europe  thatToherls 
Inl?  ^''"  ?T^y  «^  «"^  hemisphere  indeb  ed,  for  the  or  ! 

Sct'th«?7h'^^"''"'  °^^'^  "/^^^"^^  «^i«t«"^«  '  it  is  ety  o 
predict  that  this  is  a  manner  of  disposing  of  things,  which  mav 
be^pract^ed  with  more  facility  in^he  fear  IsT^'tlti'lZ 

•!u^u  f^^P^cts  the  work  of  Mr.  Hodgson,  I  have  read  it 

tTmes  t^n-  '"^  P^r'^^^.-  '^'^^^^  -  sa'tJsSon  ^t  d] 
times,  m  dwelhng  on  the  opinions,  though  they  may  prove 

seSs  theVuth'  i7'!f  '""^  ^.""^1  "^*"-  As^he  e^iC^ 
seeks  the  truth,  with  a  desire  of  proclaiming  it,  his  verv  errors 
are  entitled  to  be  treated  with  respect.  Nothing,  forTnst^ce 
however,  is  more  untrue,  than  to  say  that  servif^  in  the  r^voi 
ution  forms  the  chief,  or  even  a  very  material  claim  to  d^s- 
tinction,  m  our  ordinary  intercourse.     Society,  in  Amerh;a  is 

Constit.iitpH    nronJool.r    X-,   :~    ^ .t  ^y »  "i/imerica,  IS 

k-^  J- 1^ -^   ^"^  "'  «-very  oiner   Cnristian  countrv 

mosf  oTih^r^'T'  ^^"^"y/"i---'  and  wealth,  exerd7g 
most  of  their  customary  influences.  It  is  more  true  cer- 
tainly, as  to  political  distinction,  though  cases  abouid  of 


320 


NOTES. 


ii,i 


'  i*jt 


individuals  who  even  opposed  the  war  of  '76,  but  who  have 
not  been  thought  unwortJiy  of  popular  favour  by  their  placa- 
Me  countrymen.  He  has  been  thrown,  by  accident,  into  a 
highhr  respectable  circle  of  ancient  soldiers,  whom  he  has 
foimd  m  the  enjoyment  of  all  their  native  and  merited  con- 
sideration,  and  he  has  mistaken  the  particular  instance  for  a 
general  rule.  He  has  not,  at  least,  hke  most  of  those  who 
went  before  him,  passed  wilfully  over  the  abundance  of  order 
morals,  religion,  and  intelligence  which  eminently  distin' 
guishes  the  bosom  of  our  community,  to  scok  exceptions  in 
the  skirts  of  society,  which  might  serve  to  amuse  at  home 

tt  "'deVo'^Sr ' " '° ''''''  ^'^  ^p^^^"  «^ «-  ''^'^^^  ^y 

'But  there  are  deep  sources  of  pain  in  finding,  by  the  con- 
fessions  of  this  very  writer,  how  much  more  inveterate  have 
been  the  prejudices  of  his  nation,  than  even  one  as  familiar 
with  the  subiect  as  a  traveller  could  have  beheved.   To  nine 
'ST  ?^.  population  of  America,  it  will  appear  incred- 
ible, that  England  has  doubted,  nay,  still  doubts,  whether 
religion  or  rehgious  mstruction  exists  among  them !  1  write 
under  the  observation  of  four  visits  to  England,  and  an  exten- 
eive  acquaintance  with  the  habits  of  my  own  country,  when 
I  affirm,  that  re  igion,  to  say  the  least,  is  as  much  inculcated. 
u^A  ^•^r''"?^'^"^  as  rigidly  observed,  in  all  the  northern 
and  middle  and  some  of  the  southern  States  of  America,  as 
in  the  most  favoured  quarters  of  England.   It  is  lamentable 
tiiat  an  error  so  injurious  m  its  consequences,  so  false  and  so 
uncharitable  m  Its  nature,  should  have  an  existence  among 
men  who  evidently  wish  to  believe  the  best.  StiU,  while  as  a 
man,  l  lament  this  miserable  error,  as  an  American,  I  do  not 
Sfn'i^i     ^«f  eqf  n^^^«;    Wilful  ignoran  e  is  sure  to  entail  its 
punishment.     It  I    .  been  the  misfbrt  me  of  England  ( .  re- 
^r^'^ll  T'^'T^  f  America,  and  of  American  character, 
trom  the  day  when  the  pilgrims  first  touched  the  rock  of  Plv- 
mouth  to  the  present  hour.    SheJ)anished  our  ancestors  from 
her  bosom  because  they  would  not  submit  to  an  oppression 
agamst  which  she  herself  has  since  revolted.    She  cumbered 
our  mtant  efforts  with  her  vicious  legislation,  and  drove  us  t  j 
a  premature  inajority.     It  remam.  to  be  seen  whother  she 
wm  have  us,  m  our  strength,  as  a  friend  or  an  enemy.    The 
tune  for  her  election  is  gettinrr  short,  and  more  may  hang  on 

willmg  to  beheve.    The  steady,  .i^luded  and  confiding  fr  enc 

we   once  U'prp    it  la  tn^  lofo  *« A.       T»    .  .    =      ... 

p    ,        ' -  —  • i«ie  t,o  cAj.uut.     x>uc  a  nation  wiiicii 

ifnf.i'h  ^'^^'f  ^;.^"d  ^Jii^h  is  consrious  of  no  unworthiness 
isneitht    vindictive  nor  obdurate.     We  may  be  disposed  to 


NOTES. 


Jt  who  have 
their  placa- 
dent,  into  a 
bom  he  has 
lerited  con- 
stance  for  B 
those  who 
ICO  of  order, 
ntly  distin- 
:ceptions  in 
186  at  home 
r  haters  by 

by  the  con- 
terate  have 

as  familiar 
d.   To  nine 
•ear  incred- 
8,  whether 
m !  1  write 
:l  an  exten- 
ntry,  when 
inculcated, 
e  northern 
imerica,  as 
lamentable 
Eilse  and  so 
ice  among 
while  as  a 
n,  I  do  not 
0  entail  its 
land  1  o  re- 
cha  racier, 
)ckofPly- 
'stors  from 
oppression 

cumbered 
Irove  us  to 
(Other  she 
smy.  The. 
y  hang  on 
x)wer,  arf 
ing  frient 
ion  vviiiofi 
orthiness^ 
ieposed  to 


321 


forgive,  though  it  will  be  hard  indeed  to  forget.  Even  the 
moderaf  od  and  cautious  tone,  which  is  certainly  beginning  to 
prevail  among  her  politicians  and  writers,  is  not  extended  to 
the  youthful  Hercules  with  the  grace  that  it  might  have  been 
offered  to  the  infant  in  his  cradle.  We  know  as  well  as  her- 
self, that  the  next  duplication  of  our  numbers  will  raise  us  to 
her  own  level.  Her  dominion  over  our  minds  could  not  have 
contmued,  it  is  true,  after  we  had  obtained  a  literature  of  our 
own ;  still  the  hold  might  have  been  relinquished  in  amity, 
and  not  cast  from  her  in  disdain.  But  a  generation  has  grown 
to  maturity  during  the  prevalence  of  a  miserable  infatuation. 
What  a  noble  promise  for  the  future  has  England  not  jeop- 
arded !  The  decline  of  empires,  though  more  tardy,  is  not 
less  certain  th.-in  that  of  man.  The  wane  of  the  British  do- 
mmion  might  have  been  distinguished  by  features  that  the 
world  has  never  yet  witnessed.  Her  language,  her  institu- 
tions, and  her  distinctive  opinions  are  spread  wherever  enter- 
prise has  penetrated.  Colonization,  under  her  reign,  has 
been  fruitful  and  prosperous  beyond  a  parallel.  Mighty  na- 
tions are  rising  arouivl  her,  as  generations  suc*:eed  genera- 
tions in  the  more  familiar  descent  of  families.  Wisdom 
might  prescribe  a  course  which  would  have  secured  a  devoted 
friend  in  every  dependant  as  '•{  was  released  from  the  do- 
mmion  of  the  parent.  H  >-  lar  that  course  has  been  pursued 
m  respect  to  us,  the  past  and  the  present  time  euflSciently 
show.  Why  is  Russi«  already  occupying  that  place  in  Amer- 
ican politics  which  England  should  have  nobly  filled?  Why 
did  America  choose  England  for  her  foe,  when  equal  cause 
of  war  was  givrri  by  France,  and  when  the  former  was  cer- 
tamly  most  nhh  to  do  her  harm  ?  These  are  questions  easily 
answered  by  any  man  conversant  with  the  state  of  the  public 
mmd  m  ou^  nation ;  but  I  shall  leave  you  to  make  your  own 
observations. 

"  I  have  treated  this  matter  gravely ;  for  to  me  it  always 
seems  a  subject  fraught  with  the  gravest  consequences.  The 
day  is  not  far  distant  when  the  conflicting  interests  of  the 
two  nations  shall  receive  support  from  equal  power.  Whether 
the  struggle  is  to  be  maintained  by  the  ordinary  rivalry  of 
enterprise  and  industry,  or  by  the  fiercer  conflict  of  arms, 
depends  greatly  on  the  temper  of  America.  To  us  the  ques- 
tion is  purely  one  of  time.  The  result  may  be  retarded ;  but 
he  is  deplorably  ignorant  of  our  character,  of  our  resources, 
and  of  our  higli  intentions,  who  believes  it  can  ever  be  avert- 
ed. That  Almighty  i^eing  who  holds  the  destinies  of  nations 
m  his  hands,  must  change  the  ordinary  direction  of  his  own 
great  laws,  or  the  American  population  will  stand  at  the 


322 


NOTES. 


« 


head  of  civilized  nations,  long  ere  the  close  of  this  centurv 
It  IS  natural  that  they  who  falsely  identify  individual  happi- 
ness with  national  power,  should  rack  their  ingenuity  in  quest 
ot  arguments  that  may  refute  omens  that  seem  so  unpropi- 
tious.    The  most  common,  because,  in  truth,  the  only  plausi- 
ble anticipation  is,  that  our  confederation  will  dissolvef  It  is 
remarkable  that  England,  with  her  party-coloured  empire, 
Austria,  Prussia,  Bergium,  Sweden,  and  even  our  constant 
triend  the  Russ,  should  shut  their  eyes  to  the  fragments  of 
nations  that  compose  their  several  powers,  and  complacently 
predict,  that  we,  a  people  of  common  origin,  of  common 
opimons,  of  identified  interests,  and  of  perfectly  equal  rights, 
should  alone  be  subject  to  the  influence  of  an  unnatural 
desire  to  separate.     The  people  of  France  itself  are  not  so 
Uioroughly  amalgamated  as  the  people  of  the  United  States. 
1  he  divisions  of  Catholics  and  Protestants  alone,  kept  alive 
as  they  are  throughout  most  of  Europe,  arc  a  greater  source 
ot  hostile  feeling  than  aU  our  causes  of  difi-erence  united, 
ine  tact  IS,  that  you  are  accustomed  to  consider  the  stronff 
arm  as  the  only  bond  of  political  union;  and  Europe  has  not 
yet  had  an  opportunity  of  learning  that  the  most  durable  jrov- 
ernment  is  that  which  makes  it  the  interest  of  every  citizen 
to  yield  It  cheerful  support.     I  defy  the  experience  of  the 
world  to  bring  a  parallel  case  of  submission  to  established 
government,  equal  to  that  manifested  by  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  to  their  own  restrictive  laws— measures  of 
doubtful  policy,  and  of  nearly  fatal  effects,  not  to  individuals 
a^one,  but  to  whole  communities— and  to  communities  too, 
that  possessed  all  the  organized  means  of  separate  govern- 
ments completely  within  the  reach  of  their  hands.     That 
which  constitutes  our  weakness  in  European  eyes,  we  know 
to  constitute  our  unconquerable  strength.    The  bayonets  of 
JJingland  could  not  subdue  us,  an  infant,  impoverished,  scatter- 
ed, and  peacef\il  people ;  but  could  she  have  yielded  a  moiety 
of  the  rights  we  now  enjoy,  we  might  have  been  persuaded, 
tor  a  time  longer,  that  our  interests  tied  us  to  a  nation  in  the 
other  hemispheje.     And,  after  all,  admitting  that  we  shall 
separate,  the  case,  with  respect  to  England,  will  not  be  greatly 
altered.     Instead  of  having  one  mighty  rival  iJT  industry  and 
enterprise,  she  will  have  two..    The  issue  will  be  protracted 
but  not  averted.     The  main  question  is,  whether  that  rivalry 
shall  consist  m  manful,  honourable,  and  amicable  efforts  or 
m  bitter,  vindictive,  heartless  warfare.    Every  good  man  will 
WISH  cne  lornier,  but  every  wise  man  must  see  how  great  is 
the  danger  of  the  latter.     More  than  ordinary  prudence  is 
necessary  to  temper  a  struggle  between  nati.;ns,  which,  by 


NOTES. 


323 


is  century 
dual  happi- 
ity  in  quest 
?o  unpropi- 
jnJy  plausi- 
iolve.  It  is 
ed  empire, 
ir  constant 
Lgments  of 
mplacently 
f  common 
[ual  rights, 

unnatural 

are  not  so 
;ed  States. 

kept  alive 
iter  source 
ce  united, 
the  strong 
pe  has  not 
rable  gov- 
ery  citizen 
ice  of  the 
istablished 
pie  of  the 
sasures  of 
ndividuals 
nities  too, 
e  govern- 
Js.     That 

we  know 
yonets  of 
1,  scatter- 
!  a  moiety 
ersuaded, 
ion  in  the 

we  shall 
>e  greatly 
ustry  and 
•otracted, 
at  rivalry 
efforts,  or 
man  will 

great  is 
idence "  ia 
i^hich,  by 


speaking  a  common  language,  so  thoroughly  understand  each 
other's  taunts  and  reviBngs.    I  do  not  pretend  to  say  that 
the  American,  under  a  consciousness  of  similar  innovations 
on  his  pride  and  his  privileges,  would  be  either  more  wise  or 
more  generous,  than  the  Englishman  has  proved :  but  I  do 
?ay,that  it  behoves  the  discreet  and  moderate  of  both  nations 
to  take  heed,  lest  the  growmg  dislike  should  degenerate  into 
a  feeling  that  may  prove  discreditable  to  human  nature. 
There  is,  however,  much  mawkish  philanthropy  uttered  on 
this  subject.     For  my  own  part,  I  believe  the  fiiult  of  Amer- 
ica has  been  that  of  a  too  cautious  forbearance.    Had  we 
earlier  spoken  in  the  open  and  manly  tone  that  becomes  us, 
much  of  the  miserable  recrimination  that  I  fear  is  in  store 
would  have  been  avoided.     StiU,  we  begin  to  feel,  that  while 
England  has  nearly  exhausted  her  darts,  our  own  quiver  is 
full.    She  forgets  that,  7/hen  we  achieved  our  independence- 
we  conquered  an  equal  right  to  the  language;  and  she  ought 
not  to  be  surprised  if  we  should  sometunes  descend  to  adopt 
her  own  mode  of  using  it.    No  doubt  vulgar  and  impotent 
minds  have  already  commenced  the  pitiful  task  of  recrunina- 
tion :  nor  can  it  be  denied  that  men  of  even  higher  stamp 
have  been  provoked  to  a  forgetftdness  of  their  self-respect,  by 
the  unceasmg  taunts  and  revilmgs  of  our  unwearied  abusers ; 
but  if  the  latter  think  that  they  have  yet  felt  the  force  of  our 
retorts,  they  have  only  to  continue  in  their  career  to  be  soon 
convinced  of  their  error.     If  England  believes  she  is  not  ob- 
noxious to  the  attacks  of  sarcasm,  it  is  not  the  least  of  her 
mistakes ;  and  nothing  but  occasion  is  needed  to  convince  her 
that  no  one  can  apply  it,  in  her  case,  with  half  the  malignant 
power  of  those  very  people  she  affects  to  despise. 

"At  present,  the  feeling  in  America,  in  respect  to  England, 
is  rather  that  of  indifference,  than  of  dkyke.  We  certainly 
do  not  worship  her  government ;  if  weha^,  we  should  prob- 
ably have  adopted  it ;  but  we  are  far  fVom  being  so  unreason- 
able as  to  require  that  she  should  lijje  our  own.  I  know  no 
people  that  trouble  themselves  less  about  the  political  concerns 
of  other  nations  than  my  countr^en.  It  may  be  vanity,  but 
^^^y  yS2.^  they  have  little  to  learn,  in  this  particular,  except 
of  themselves.  There  is,  notwithstanding,  one  great  and 
saymg  quality,  which,  if  W3  are  wrong,  should  plead  some- 
thing m  extenuation  of  our  self-delusion;  we  are  neither 
ashamed  nor  afraid  to  change.  — — * 

f*  TVTl*>Ti    nn     'RnnpliahmoTi     talla   ,<«  ^C ,^    ^ J ^ 

of  the  ideal  homage  we  should  both  pay  to  the  land  and  in- 
stitutions of  our  ancestors,  he  is  heard  with  cold  and  incred- 
ulous ears ;  we  are  no  worshippers  of  stocks  and  stones.    A 


324 


NOTES. 


little  extension  of  his  principle  would  carry  us  into  the  ages 

ot  monkish  misrule,  or  leave  us  m  the  plains  of  Saxony. 

?«"i   K  ?  *",  Englishman  speaks  to  us  of  those  moderated 

and  chastened  prmcii^ee  which  characterize  our  religion,  and 

refers  to  that  mighty  Spirit  which  inculcates  the  obligations 

^  universal  charity,  he  approaches  by  an  avenue  that  is  open 

to  all,  and  which  1  pray  God  may  never  be  closed  against 

mm,  or  any  other  of  the  children  of  men. 

*  "  ^!i-^**i.* «®  generEtiOTi  that  must  pass  away  before  our 

strength  shall  entirely  equal  that  of  our  great  relative,  there 

5t««  cause  for  apprehension.     England  has  already  done 

ajMl  sa^  her  worst.  We  dread  her  power  as  a  veteran  dreads 

the  whizzing  of  bullets ;  he  knows  the  deadly  messengers  may 

do  bim  haiTO,  but  the  sound  is  far  too  ftmiliar  to  excite  alarm. 

L.et  t^e  who  believe  England  more  powerful  now  than  she 

WM  myj^tB  since,  a^  themselves  whether  she  can  repeat 

tS>A^      .J'^^f^  !^«»®  who  wish  to  think  of  America  in 

1824,  as  they  did  in  1776,  approach  like  yourself,  and  make 

their  own  observaJtions. 

^ZL^^^^f  describe  the  difference  between  the  treatment 
which  the  American  receives  in  England,  and  that  which  the 
J.nglishman  receives  m  America,  as  bemg  very  marked 
Not^hstanding  all  that  has  passed,  we  admit  the  Englishl 
man  freely  and  cordi^y  into  our  houses,  SHrT  think  we  treat 
him,  even  now,  rather' as  a  distant  relative  than  as  an  alien. 
1  here  IS  so  much  natural  interest  in  the  feeling  which  in- 
duces  us  to  listen  curiously  to  accounts  of  the  country  of  our 
tetbers,  that  it  may  still  require  time  to  lose  it  altogether. 
vuf}  ^^®ry  English  traveller  in  America  (who  has  pub- 
lished) admits  the  cordiality  and  kindness  of  his  reception. 
1  hough  this  acknowledgment  is  commonly  made  with  some 
such  flounsh  as— '  we  found  the  name  of  EngUshman  a  een- 
eral  paaspoTt,'  it  is  not  the  less  an  acknowledgment  of  the 

iJ^^i'r  y^""**  ^  *^®  ^^^^  ®^^®  ^^  the  picture?  Remember 
that  I  do  not  speak  of  exceptions,  but  of  rules;  not  of  men 
whom  good  fortune,  or  merit,  or  caprice,  or  fashion,  or  curi- 
osity, or  any  other  cause,  has  made  the  objects  of  attention  • 
nor  ot  those  whose  goodness  of  heart,  and  laudable  desire  to 
study  character  as  it  is  exhibited  m  nations  as  well  as  in  in- 
dividuals, excite  to  kmdness ;  but  of  those  of  my  countrymen 
Who  travel  as  a  body,  and  of  those  Englishm  m  who  ordinarily 
receive  them  as  guests  in  their  own  island. 

"  ^,^,*h®  ^J^  P"^ce,  an  American  has  evideiitly  to  overcome 
n  uisMKe  TO  De  received  at  all.  This  circumstanbe  is  betrayed 
to  us  m  a  thousand  ways.  The  first  and  most  common  is  an 
evident  desire  to  avoid  us.   It  is  betrayed  lo  us  by  forei£/ners, 


nto  the  ages 
of  Saxony. 
3  moderated 
religion,  and 
!  obligations 
that  is  open 
)sed  against 

'  before  our 
lative,  there 
ilready  done 
;eran  dreads 
3engere  may 
xcite  alarm. 
3W  than  she 
!  can  repeat 
America  in 
',  and  make 

e  treatment 
t  which  the 
ry  marked, 
le  English- 
nk  we  treat 
as  an  alien. 
'  which  in- 
tntry  of  our 
altogether. 
0  hag  pub- 
reception, 
with  some 
man  a  gen- 
lent  of  the 
Remember 
not  of  men 
•n,  or  curi- 
attention ; 
le  desire  to 
jU  as  in  in- 
ountrymen 
•  ordinarily 

'  overcome 
s  betrayed 
imon  is  an 
roreigners, 


NOTES. 


325 


i^i^^i!"  "'  distinctly  of  the  fact ;  and  it  is  betrayed  to  us  by 
the  very  manner  m  which  their  civilities  are  o&ered  when 
JT ^IS^^e"'"^^ '""^  to  depart  a  little  from  th^;^ 
"  The  reception  of  an  American  iii  England  is  not  without 
Samf-of  h«^"l  '^y.-^^S  of  the^onest,  blu^ering 
renTfs^  kL^Llo  r  ^^'-^i  ^h««»  P'^dice  camiot  alwajl 
repress  kmdness,  (especially  if  profit  be  in  view;!  but  mv 
remarks  are  now  made  on  a  class  who  have  no  diect VSJ 

izfr  No7h- ^''-  J'^tr  ^'""^  ^'^^  ^'^  prodi^ot  patfoT 
izers.  Nothing  makes  them  so  happy  as  to  get  In  American 
and  to  show  him  that  they  are  not  above  treating  hSTS 
equal;  and  m  order  that  the  poor  foreigner  sho^d  have^ 
excuse  for  denying  the  condescension,  they  neglect  no  onLr^ 
tunity  ot   exhibiting  it.    These  people  Le  every  moK 

Sir  '??r  "'m^  '^^''^^y  ^e  above  lx2 
graved'  that  the  party  despises  the  theory  which  sava 

physicul  .^u.ure  is  not  so  perfect  in  America  as  L  Europe  W 
an  individual  wh6  is  gravely  looking  up  in  yo^  fece  ^at' S 
angle  ot  forty-five  degrees.'  One  ol*  tfie  best-bred  nat^rS^^ 
and  easy  women  thatl  met  in  London  wr-  !     'nntrnJom^'; 
Jj^rTu'  V^7  <^?«™«Polite  took  occasi^n  to  coSreS  ^ 
me  on  the  subject;  but,  probably  fearing  he  had  sSd  too 
much,  he  concluded  by  telling  me  that  ^e  had  been  mti-Af 
young !'   On  another  occasion  I  was  assured,  in  the  prSe 
of  twenty  people,  that  a  countryman  of  my  own"  coSd^ot 
have  been  a  finer  gentleman  than  he  was  ^had^e  been  edu 

intt  miKfif/ ^"i-;  A«  American  lady  was  dLch^ 
m  the  midst  of  fifty  Englishwomen,  and  her  performance  wal 
so  creditable  that  I  was  led  to  believe  by  a  by-stTiTer  tC 
he  saw  no  difference  in  her  grace  and  that  o/tKu^s  of 
his  own  island!  I  should  be  unffrateful  indeed  nnffn  o« 
knowiedge  the  polished  hberality"?? SUncest"^^^  which" 
I  candidly  assure  you,  exceeds  iny  thing  in  the  same^v  f 

tr^!'Tt  '^"'y  °^"  "°""''y-  B"t  these  are  Zts  Zhe 
Whed  at:  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  others  occur,TwLh 
indignation  destroys  the  spirit  of  merrhnent. 

"Now,  aU  this  is  exceedingly  absurd  and  very  pitifbl 
Heaven  knows  that  every  rational  American  is  willing  enough 
to  admit  what  time,  and  money,  and  learning  havedr 

tot^r.l«  f^H»?L-^-  P-voked  by  sVciliousness! 
,,..  .„^  ^„„  api,  lu  rumma  ner  pusBessors  of  what  thev 
have  not  done.  But  it  is  lamentable  that  the  Truly  S 
breeding  and  excellent  sense  of  those  who  do  possess  thSe 
qualities  m  an  eminent  degree,  in  England,  cannot  look  do^ 


326 


NOTES. 


HI 


the  overweening  character  of  so  many  of  the  nation.  That 
they  do  not,  my  own  experience,  and  the  observations  of 
every  Aiitellieent  man,  will  show.  I  do  not  say,  that  if  we 
were  the  old,  and  proud,  and  successful  people,  that  we 
should  discover  better  taste,  deeper  humility,  or  more  can- 
dour ;  but  this  T  do  know,  that  bemg  the  people  we  are,  we 
are  not  likel;^  to  submit  quietly  to  the  exhibition  of  an  un- 
earned superiority  in  others.  These  things  must  be  changed, 
or  the  growth  of  the  feeling  to  which  I  have  already  alluded 
appears  to  me  to  be  inevitable.  Hundreds  of  American 
travellers  are  in  Europe  at  this  hour.  Each  year  increases 
the  number,  as  it  increases  their  influence  on  the  tone  of 
the  public  mind  at  home.  Perhaps  nine  out  of  ten,  place 
their  feet  on  the  land  of  their  ancestors  with  a  feeling  in 
its  favour ;  and  I  am  firmly  persuaded,  that,  from  the  causes 
I  have  named,  nine  out  of  ten  leave  it  with  satisfaction, 
and  return  to  it  with  reluctance.  The  same  individuals 
quit  France,  Italy,  Russia,  Switzerland  and  Germany,  with 
kind  and  friendly  recollections.  England  and  the  Unite^ 
States  are  liaced  in  situations  to  mlB^  thein  respectiuircom?^" 
pKllofs,  or  jownrjght  haters.  Love  does  not  more  infallibly 
4»egBf  lot^e^  than  dislike  creates  dishke.  I  honestly  think  we 
are,  as  yet,  substantially  the  defendants  in  this  war  of  iJiuen- 
dos.  We  have  certainly  retu^ed  abuse  for  abuse,  and  as 
coarsely  and  as  vulgarly,  and  ^eguentl^  as Jgnorantly^  as  it 
has  been  bestowed ;  but  there  is  nothing  in  our  resentment 
which  wears  the  aspect  of  settled  and  calculating  hostility. 
I  think  our  people  have ,  been  wrong :  they  have  often  met 
cajumny  with  deprecation,  when  they  would  have  better  shut 
its  mouth  by  exhibiting  spirit.  We  never  got  any  thing  from 
England  in  the  way  of  petition  or  remonstrance;  but  we 
have  obtained  a  glorious  empire  by  resolution.  I  am  no  ad 
vocate  for  vindictive  and  vulgai*  recrimination ;  but  I  think 
the  nation  or  the  individual  who  would  maintain  his  proper 
position,  must  take  justice  and  self-respect  for  his  guides, 
and  care  as  little  as  possible  for  others. 

"  It  would  be  as  disgusting  as  it  is  unprofitable,  to  descend 
into  the  paltry  details  of  the  manner  in  which  prejudices 
and  contempt  are  fostered  in  England  against  America. 
Some  itinerant  hears  a  gross  expression  from  the  lips  of  a 
vulgar  man  in  New-York,  or  a  horrid  oath  in  the  mouth  of 
some  blasphemous  boatman  on  the  Mississippi,  and  they  are 
instantly  transferred  to  the  pages  of  works  like  the  Quarterly 
and  halt"  a  dozen  others  similar  to  it,  as  specimens  of  Amer- 
ican manners !  Do  those  who  preside  over  the  publications 
in  question,  believe  that  the  art  of  objurgation  is  unknown 


NOTES. 


327 


ition.  That 
ervations  of 
r,  that  if  we 
>le,  that  we 
)r  more  can- 
i  we  are,  we 
tn  of  an  un- 

be  changed, 
sady  aUuded 
>f  American 
lar  increases 
the  tone  of 
)f  ten,  place 
a  feeling  in 
m  the  causes 

satisfaction, 
i  individuals 
srmany,  with 

the  United 
pectfuLcomr 
ore  infallibly 
itly  think  we 
^ar  of  muen- 
buse,  and  as 
>rantly^as  it 
r  reBentment 
ng  hostility, 
^e  often  met 
B  better  shut 
y  thing  from 
ce;  but  we 

I  am  no  ad 
;  but  I  think 
n  his  proper 
'  his  guides, 

5,  to  descend 
h  prejudices 
3t  America, 
he  lips  of  a 
le  mouth  of 
md  they  are 
e  Quarterly 
ns  of  Amer- 
publications 
is  unknown 


in  t^eir  own  country?  I  can  tell  them  from  close  observation, 
that  sentences  are  daily  and  hourly  uttered  in  London  itself, 
whicii,  though  they  may  want,  and  commonly  do  want,  the 
miserable  mgenuity  of  those  they  quote,  fail  in  none  of  the 
blasphemy.  iPretty  considerable^  is  always  dignified  with 
itahcs;  and  the  President  of  the  United  States  is  lucky  if  it 
be  not  interpolated  into  his  annual  message  jfbut  it  may^ 
appear,  as  it  does  appear,  in  paffe  64,  lines  6  and  7,  of  the  / 
tamous  Reflections  on  the  French  Revolution,  by  the  Right  I 

n  behoves  the  wise,  and  the  principled,  and  the  good  of 
the  two  nations,  to  put  a  stop  to  feelings  which  can  eS  easUv 
give  rise  to  all  that  is  disagreeable.     But  truckUng  is  not 
wisdom  m  us,  nor  is  condescension  politeness  in  them.     We 
must  meet  at  all  times,  and  m  all  places,  as  equals:  not  in 
concessions,  that  are  wrung  bypoUcy,or  perhaps  by  a  still  less 
worthy  motive ;  but  as  mortals,  who  have  but  one  nature  and 
one  God.     Until  this  shall  be  done,  and  not  till  then,  it  is 
vam  to  expect  the  least  revival  of  the  feeling  that  might  arise 
Irom  a  common  parentage  and  common  principles.     I  have 
reason  to  think  that  I  do  not  stand  alone,  in  this  opinion,  by 
miUioiis.     The  time  is  near,.I  had  almost  written  frightfully 
near,  when  two  nations,  who  thoroughly  understand  each 
other  s  vituperations,  shall  support  a  delicate  rivalry  by  equal 
power.     That  crisis  is  to  be  passed  ere  the  danger  orfc 
malady  shall  abate.     For  one,  I  can  say,  in  all  smcerity,  that 
I  hope  It  may  be  done  in  peace ;  but  I  should  be  blind  to  the 
effect  of  natural  causes,  did  I  not  see  that  it  is  a  period  at- 
tended with  alarm.    It  is  a  thousand  pities  that  the  good- 
ness ot  heart,  and  the  secret  sympathies  which  bind  the  lovers 
of  humanity  together,  should  be  smothered  by  the  grower 
and  more  active  passions  of  the  world;  but  nature  and  self- 
preborvation  point  to  only  one  course  when  the  appeal  is 
seriously  made  to  the  patriot.     It  is  by  this  unfortunate 
supremacy  of  the  coarser  passions  of  life,  that  the  best  men 
andTostifit^^*''"    '"^^^'''^  in  the  mental  tyranny  of  prejudice 
"  You  will  perceive  by  what  is  here  written,  that  words 
and  empty  profession  pass  but  for  little  in  my  poor  estimate   , 
of  liberality,  flf  I  know  myself,  an  Englishman  is  regarded  ) 
us  any  other  man.     When  I  find  him,  as  I  am  happy  to  say  I  V 
Jiave  found  hundreds,  benevolent,  kind  of  heart,  and  Uberally  ) 
enliirhtened,  he  even  draws  npnrpr  to  mir  ^,r^^«*u:^„  *u_l  / 
any  other  foreigner  5  but  the  mstuiit  any  of  the  qualities  men- 
tioned above,  are  discovered,  distrust, 'coldness,  and,  not  un- 
trequently,  unconquerable    disgust,  succeed,    There  is  no 


328 


NOTES. 


other  object  in  mentioning  my  own  instance,  except  as  ii 
goes  to  prove  what  is  the  feeling  of  an  individual  who  has 
never  been  the  subject  of  any  peculiar  causes  to  make  his 
case  different  from  that  of  the  mass  of  his  nation.  I  believe 
it  IS  the  state  of  mind  of  a  vast  majority  of  that  portion  of  my 
countrymen  who  are  brought  much  in  collision  with  the  na- 
tives of  Great  Britain.  But  these  sympathies  may  be  blighted 
too  often.  It  is  vain  to  say,  that  the  mass  of  mankind  are 
Ignorant,  and  prejudiced,  and  obstinate,  while  you  cannot  add 
that  they  are  impotent.  Men  act  and  feel,  they  war  and  they 
destroy,  m  masses;  and  it  is  as  bodies,  and  not  in  their  insu- 
lated exceptions,  that  they  must  be  viewed. 

"  But  I  deny  that  the  prejudice  of  England  against  America 
IS  hmited  to  the  ignorant,  though  I  am  willing  to  admit,  and 
admit  It  I  do  with  unaffected  pleasure,  that  there  are  many 
and  manly  exceptions.    Still,  a  deep,  settled,  ignorant,  and,  I 
think,  an  mcreasmg  hostility,  to  the  people,  the  institutions, 
and,  1  fear,  to  the  hopes  of  the  United  States,  exists  in  the 
mmds  of  a  vast  majority  of  the  middling  classes.     I  use  the 
term  middling  in  an  intellectual,  no  less  than  in  its  ordinary, 
acceptation.     It  is  not  a  month  smce  a  friend  of  mine  acci- 
dentally met  a  clergyman's  daughter,  of  good  manners,  of  a 
naturally  kmd  heart,  and  of  great  general  good  sense,  who 
manifested  this  temper  in  an  extraordinary  degree.     Chance 
introduced  the  subject  of  America,  and  it  is  scarcely  possible 
to  describe  the  quality  of  her  abuse,  which  knew  no  other 
bounds  than  what  propriety  of  sex,  and  some  little  respect  for 
condition,  would  impose.     On  inquiry,  it  appeared  that  this 
lady  (for  she  was  not  at  all  unworthy  of  the  appellation)  had 
never  known  an  American  in  her  life !    She  had  listened  too 
eagerly  to  misrepresentation  and  caricature;  and,  perhaps, 
her  very  intelligence  added  to  her  spleen,  by  giving  the  alarm' 
to  her  patriotism.     But  the  progress  of  a  great  nation  is  not 
to  be  stopped  by  angry  words. 

;«  You  may  be  inclined  to  ask  if  the  American  is  not  often 
guilty  of  the  same  weakness?  No  doubt  he  is— though  al- 
ways with  this  marked  difference :  he  disputes,  and  often  de 
nies  the  claims  of  England,  in  this  or  that  particular;  he  is 
disgusted  with  certain  usages,  and  does  not  scruple  to  say  so; 
he  laughs  at  the  self-delusion  of  her  poets  and  dramatists  ; 
but  he  does  not  deny  her  general  right  to  be  considered  among 
the  greatest  nations  of  the  earth.  While  he  sees  and  acknow- 
ledges, and  has  often  felt  the  equality  of  her  courao-e,  and 
morals,  and  enterprise,  he  confesses  no'  superiority,  because 
in  simple  truth,  itliaajJiijBxigtence^  I  do  not  ever  remember 
to  have  heard  olie  of  my  countrymen,  however  ignorant  or 


Bxcept  as  It 
lal  who  has 
to  make  his 
I  believe 
)rtion  of  my 
i^ith  the  na- 

be  blighted 
lankind  are 

cannot  add 
ar  and  they 
I  their  insu- 

ist  America 
admit,  and 
e  are  many 
rant,  and,  I 
nstitutions, 
cists  in  the 
I  use  the 
ks  ordinary, 
mine  acci- 
nners,  of  a 
sense,  who 
(.  Chance 
jly  possible 
w  no  other 
respect  for 
d  that  this 
lation)  had 
istened  too 
1,  perhaps, 
f  the  alarm 
ition  is  not 

3  not  often 
though  al- 
i  often  de 
liar;  he  is 
to  say  so ; 
ramatists ; 
red  among 
d  acknow- 

a~y 

,  because, 
remember 
;norant  or 


NOTES.  329 

vulgar,  refuse  to  admit  an  Englishman  to  most  of  the  merit 
e2Z^„r^H"-^^^^^%^^  ^'"t  itwoud  beSe 

Zw  th«Pf  ?h^^P™^^.^^^**^"^«'  in  ^«rks  of  character  to 

^^Ltmi'^'Ze'tnZ^^  and    I  fear    tiresome  not     by 

may  List  on  f hi.T.5  T  V   ^'\  °'^^'  ^^**  "°  misconception 

kh  an  amicable  temner  wifrll^  ?,?"°"  "'"'' '"  <^''"- 
to  effect  their  „S  0^eVSl?.""1  "  ""'  "■«  '^^J' 
the  spirit  which  Ictate^Sfes':  t?grll  'J^  'TX' 

v^ir^ii':^''  *'^  -,?^--y-  TheJrexiToNony^^  :^^^ 

United  States,  a  bhnd  and  infatuated  party  to  unhnl.1  « 
^r^A^f '  -  ^h-  -'PPort  of  a  doctrineTha't  Is  .Sit'! 
^l.^j.  cuiiimon  sense,  as  it  is  insulting  to  the  soverei^ntv"n> 

can  onl^T ^?'  "^'T'  ^"^^  '^^  i«  a  fnestion,  thlrefSe  ^tha[ 

emnc'e      Brfdt.^     'T'  ^r^"^^^-  and  mXal  for- 
oearance.     But,  admitting  that  the  administration  of  the 

F  f  2 


330 


NOTES. 


I 


i* 


I 


United  States  Bhould  be  disposed  to  cede  a  little,  lor  a  time, 
to  policy,  until  our  sinews  shall  be  still  better  strung,  Heaven 
be  praised,  the  American  administration  can  do  nothing  against 
the  feeling  and  declared  will  of  the  American  nation.  Kind 
words  cost  but  little.  He  who  does  not  choose  to  use  them, 
cannot  expect  to  have  his  joke  and  keep  his  friend.  It  may 
be  very  pleasant  to  laugh  at  the  honest  and  sincere  anticipa- 
tions of  a  people  whose  hopes  have  never  yet  been  deceived ; 
but  it  would  be  far  ^wiser  to  consider  what  are  9alled  the 
boastful  exaggerations  of  the  Americans,  as  so  many  indica- 
tions of  the  spirit  with  which  'he  vast  power  they  are  so 
shortly  and  so  inevitably  to  possess,  will  be  wielded.  People 
may  not,  and  do  not  like  to  hear  of  these  things ;  but  I  appeal 
to  the  candour  of  any  honest  man,  if  we  tell  them  as  often, 
as  plainly,  and  as  forcibly  as  provocation  and  superciliousness 
would  justify ;  nay  more,  I  do  not  think  we  tell  them  ourselves 
as  often  as  they  are  betrayed  by  the  jealousy  of  others.  We 
live  in  the  quiet  of  a  ^easwmble,  and,  I  hope,  of  a  grateful 
security.  There  is  one  feature  in  the  intercourse  between 
all  Europeans  and  Americans  that  should  never  be  forgotten. 
The  former  proceed  on  the  assumption  of  premises  which 
were  once  true,  are  now  false,  and  will  shortly  be  absuid ; 
and  they  talk  on  quietly,  with  an  air  of  superiority,  of  which, 
half  the  time,  they  are  unconscious  themselves — while  the 
American  is  thought  an  arrogant  innovator,  if  he  pretend 
even  to  e( 


uming  from  this  picture  of  irritating  and  jealous  con- 
tention, one  scarcely  knows  where  to  seek  the  antidote  to  the 
poison  which  is  thus  insidiously  infused  into  the  two  nations. 
It  can  only  be  found  in  the  high  principles  and  good  sense  of 
the  religiously  disposed,  and  of  the  enlightened.  The  former 
class  may  endure  and  deprecate,  for  their  office  is  meek  and 
holy  charity ;  but  it  may  be  well  questioned,  if  the  know- 
ledge of  man  and  worldly  wisdom  do  not  tell  the  intelligent 
American,  that  his  nation  has  already  forborne  too  long. 
When  are  we  to  expect  the  termination  of  these  constant  ap- 
peals to  our  forbearance,  or  when  are  we  to  look  with  confi- 
dence to  the  hour  in  which  misrepresentation  and  calumny 
shall  cease  ?  I  refer  you  to  the  VII.  Number  of  the  Quarterly 
Thelogical  Review  and  Ecclesiastical  Record,  a  work  de- 
voted to  the  promulgation  of  Christian  doctrines,  as  a  striking 
evidence  of  the  temper  which  pervades  so  much  of  England 
on  the  subject  of  America.  It  is  vain  to  sav,  that  the  sermon 
it  aflfects  to  review  is  any  justification  of  the  language  it  con- 
tains. There  is  nothing  in  that  sermon  but  what  a  minister 
of  God  had  a  perfect  right  to  tell  his  people.     But  it  seems 


NOTES. 


331 


lor  a  time, 
ig,  Heaven 
ing  against 
ion.  Kind 
)  use  them, 
d.  It  may 
•e  anticipa- 
1  deceived ; 
called  the 
any  indica- 
liey  are  so 
d.  People 
lut  I  appeal 
n  as  often, 
•ciliousness 
n  ourselves 
liers.  We 
a  grateful 
le  between 
forgotten, 
ises  which 
36  absusd; 
,  of  which, 
-while  the 
le  pretend 

jalous  con- 
dote  to  the 
vo  nations, 
td  sense  of 
Che  former 
meek  and 
the  know- 
intelligent 

too  long. 

)nstant  ap- 

rvith  confi- 

d  calumny 

Quarterly 

work  de- 
I  a  striking 
f  England 
he  sermon 
age  it  con- 
a  minister 
t  it  seems 


our  Bishop  IS  accused  of  having  left  an  erroneous  opinion  of 
his  sentiments  behind  him  in  England.  I  hope  his  successors 
will  profit  by  the  hint,  and  deal  a  little  more  frankly,  though 
It  should  be  done  at  some  expense  of  politeness.  If  any  thing 
can  serve  to  make  the  sweeping  and  ridiculous  charges  of  this 
review  more  absurd,  it  is  the  well-known  fact,  that  millions 
m  Great  Britain  pine  to  enjoy  the  distant  advantages  of  the 
very  regions  the  writer  affects  to  undervalue.  It  is  no  small 
refutation  of  a  large  portion  of  the  calumny  heaped  upon  us, 
that  no  work,  pretending  to  a  religious  character,  could  pub- 
lish such  gross  exaggerations  of  any  other  people,  in  Amer- 
ica, without  meeting  its  punishment  in  the  powerful  rebuke 
of  a  community  that  knows  well  how  to  distinguish  between 
the  professions  and  the  duties  of  Christianity. 

"  But  I  have  no  wish  to  pursue  the  ungrateful  subject  fur- 
ther. If  we  do  not  recriminate  and  assail,  it  is  not  for  want 
of  means,  but  for  want  of  inclination.  All  of  our  travellers  in 
England  have  as  yet  been  Hodgsons  (at  least  in  temper;)  and 
•It  IS  worthy  of  remark,  that  while  so  many  English  have  been 
journeying  in  America,  to  ridicule,  to  caricature,  and  to  mis- 
represent,  not  a  single  American  of  the  thousands  who  daily 
visit  and  have  visited  England,  has,  to  my  knowledge,  ever 
undertaken  the  otHce  of  retaliation.  I  shall  not  offend  your 
good  sense,  bv  pretending  you  do  not  know  how  easy  the  task 
would  become,  to  an  American  who  had  the  disposition  and 
the  talents  for  its— i  had  almost  written  duty. 

«  I  have  treated  this  matter  more  gravely  than  the  security 
and  indifference  of  most  Americans  would  induce  them  to 
believe  necessary.  But  to  me  there  seems  a  danger  in  the 
subject  that  my  countrymen,  who  now  openly  laugh  at  these 
I  paper  bullets,'  do  not  always  see.  It  is  plain  to  me,  that 
immense  numbers  in  England  have  a  secret  presentiment 
that  there  is  great  danger  of  a  war  between  the  two  coun- 
tries. I  take  the  often  repeated  disclaimers  of  a  wish  for 
hostilities  to  be  a  bad  omen.  No  man  in  America,  thinks  at 
all  on  the  subject.  I  do  affirm  that  I  have  heard  more  said 
about  war  in  the  last  four  weeks  in  England,  than  in  the  last 
four  years  that  I  passed  at  home.  I  think  one  can  trace 
easily  the  cause  of  this  difference  of  feeling.  We  are  passive, 
for  we  have  neither  distrust  nor  jealousy.  We  know  we  are 
moving  steadily  to  our  object,  and  we  think  or  care  little 
about  what  other  people  wish  or  contemplate.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  two  DT.1VO  anrl  tJiinUirifr  nnti/inu  «rill  a^ra,,  ^v^f,>«  ;.-,*,. 

hostilities  on  account  of  pa«n-\inades ;  but  pasquinades  can 


produce  a  state  of  feeling  that 
come  serious  obstacles  to  pu 


render  it  difficult  to  over^ 
That  these  obstacles  have 


332 


NOTES. 


^^4^ii 


f  - 


arisen,  and  that  they  will  constantly  continue  to  arise,  good 
men  may  lament,  but  prudent  men  must  foresee. 

"  Having  very  probably  wearied  you,  my  dear ,  with 

a  subject  in  which  you  may  not  fee!  as  interested  as  myself, 
you  have  a  right  to  some  advice  concerning  those  preliminary 
investigations  on  which  you  are  so  meritoriously  inclined.  I 
Bcareely  know  a  book  to  which  I  can  refer  you.  Mott  of  the 
travels  are  next  to  worthless.  Even  statistical  works  arc 
liable  to  so  much  explauji  t  i  on,  in  a  country  where  changes 
are  so  rapid,  that  they  are  apt  to  mislead.  For  this  simple 
reason,  no  book,  for  a  long  time  to  come,  can  be  deemed  a 
standard  work.  It  is  found  difficult,  with  the  utmost  industry, 
for  even  the  geographies  to  maintain  their  places  in  the 
Bchoois.  What  is  true  to-day,  may,  where  so  much  activity 
prevails,  become  erroneous  to-morrow.  It  is  a  common  say- 
ing, that  an  American  who  remains  five  years  abroad,  gets 
behind  his  country.  There  are  many  and  lamentable  proofs 
of  its  justice.  It  would  have  been  just  as  safe  for  the 
Austrians  to  believe  Napoleon  at  Turin  this  week,  because 
he  was  at  Milan  the  last,  as  it  would  be  exact  to  calculate 
that  America  is  the  same  the  present  as  she  was  found  the 
preceding  year.  A  population  that,  in  our  infancy,  amounted 
to  three  millions,  has  already  swelled  to  twelve,  and  thou- 
sands are  now  in  being  who  will  live  to  see  it  fifty !  All  other 
changes  have  kept  equal  pace  with  the  unprecedented  and 
nearly  incredible  growth  of  oui*  numbers. 

"  You  will  find,  in  the  British  Annual  Register,  a  sufficient- 
ly correct  history  of  the  war  of  the  revolution.  It  is  often 
coloured  in  matters  that  may  touch  the  national  pride ;  but  is 
written  with  far  too  much  talent  to  be  vulgarly  illiberal. 
Many  of  the  private  memoirs  of  that  period,  English,  French, 
and  American,  have  merit  as  well  as  interest  for  those  who 
are  disposed  to  seek  it  on  so  trite  a  subject :  but  Marshall, 
with  all  his  faults  of  arrangement,  for  candour,  manliness, 
and  judicious  weighing  of  testimony,  is  a  model  for  all  his- 
toriee.  His  opportunities,  too,  for  obtaining  the  truth  have 
probably  never  been  equalled  by  any  other  historian.  For 
books  of  a  later  date,  I  scarcely  know  where  to  refer  you. 
The  little  episode  of  Anquetil  on  the  American  war,  is  won- 
derfully erroneous.  He  confounds  names,  dates,  and  events, 
in  a  manner  that  is  inexplicable.  He  is  not  alone  in  saying 
that  the  mistress  of  Washington  had  betrayed  his  secrets! 
Nothing  can  be  more  absurd  than  to  suppose  any  woman  had 
the  power  of  betraying  tlie  secrets  of  one  so  wise,  unless  it 
be  to  suppose  that  woman  was  his  mistress.  A  more  profound 
ignorance  of  the  man,  or  of  the  people  by  whom  he  was  in- 


*i 


NOTES. 


333 


[)  arise,  good 

,  with 

3d  as  mysell', 
5  preliminary 
inclined.     I 

Mwt  of  the 
il  works  arc 
ere  changes 

this  simple 
)e  deemed  a 
ost  industry, 
laces  in  the 
luch  activity 
ommon  say- 
abroad,  gets 
itable  proofs 
3afe  for  the 
3ek.  because 
to  calculate 
8  found  the 
y,  amounted 
i,  and  thou- 
^ !  All  other 
gdented  and 

a  sufficient- 
It  is  often 
pride ;  but  is 
rly  illiberal, 
ish,  French, 
r  those  who 
lit  Marshall, 
',  manliness, 
I  for  all  his- 
truth  have 
orian.  For 
t  refer  you. 
var,  is  won- 
and  events, 
le  in  saying 
his  secrets! 
woman  had 
30,  unless  it 
re  profound 
he  was  in- 


}hn  in  '  ?  T'^\  be  imagined.  After  all,  you  have  chosen 
the  only  course  by  which  a  tolerably  correct  idea  of  America 
can  be  obtained.  You  will  labour  under  one  disadvantage 
however,  of  which  it  is  impossible  to  get  rid  in  years  An 
European  can  ^arcely  spare  sufHcient  time  to  ac(,ui;e  the 
smiphcity  of  habits,  may  I  also  say,  simplicity  of  U  ouffht 
necessary  to  estimate  our  country.''  There  is  no  p3  of 
whom  a  superficial  knowledge  is  so  soon  gained,  for  tTey  arc 

reTuZHf 't  "•  V^'^""'  ^"^P^^  '" '  ^^'  ^-^^  familiarUy  i^ 
required  to  judge  of  a  nation  so  eminently  practical,  and  so 
universally  mfluenced  by  common  sense.  Uf  one  thin^  you 
inay  bo  assured,  that  nothing  I  can  bcslow  shall  be  wantC 
myTetr  !!^:^&r^S""'^"^  ,„a  profitable.     And  Tw^ 


u 


NOTE  J^.—Page  16, 

i7q2^T«^i'^^^/'^*^^?^"^'^  hostilities  of  Europe,  from 
1792  to  1814,  produce  on  the  maritime  spirit  or  on  the  naviira- 

^^VJr  '?T7'  *"^  ^^^*  ^^^  ^  counteracting'X 
ence  of  the  retaliating  measures  of  the  belligerents,  of  yoi^ 
own  restrictive  laws,  and  of  the  war  of  1812  ?"  ^ 

"As  to  maritime  spirit,  I  should  answer,  none.  The 
American  has  ever  shown  an  inclination  to  the  s(  a,  and  per- 
haps there  is  no  branch  of  his  industry  and  profit  that  he 
would  abandon  with  greater  reluctance.^  You ^wHl  find  the 
I'nThl'.fn'^"'  diBposition  in  history,  in  his  professional  skUl! 
m  the  restless  enterprise  of  the  national  character,  and  in  t^^^e 
sagacity  of  the  people,  which  is  not  hkely  to  admit  of  their 
being  cajoled  into  an  impression  that  they  do  not  comprehend 

eSZ^TdeTt?;.     "^'^  /r^/f  tralify  of  the  Am'ericaSs 

eertamly  added  to  the  wealth  of  the  nation,  and  enabled  its 

merchants  to  increase  their  tonnage  to  a  couiparat^vely  enor^ 

nous  amount.     In  1810,  when  the  population  of  the  coun- 

/CooS  on  V^r^'"^  7,000,000,^Le  were' mo^eXn 
1,400,000  tons  of  shipping  under  the  American  flaff.  After 
nllowing  for  errors  and  frauds,  both  of  which  existfd  at  that 
period  to  some  extent,  this  was  makin.  one  ton  to  every  five 
souls.  To  equal  this  ratio,  Great  Britain  sJiould  poss^eH 
tonnage  of  near  five  millions,  and  France  one  of  six, Tnd  that 
without  <;omputinff  the  inbaWtnnfo  «*•  *i,.;.  ^„i  '_  "     •'^ 

Ameiica,  it  was  by  no  means  equal  to  that  which  would  have 
boon  produced  by  her  natural  advantages  to  profit  by  such  a 


334 


NOTES, 


T 


h. 

't,:^ 


M ; 


position,  hn«l  not  th»j  contest  henn  marked  by  a  sinrriilar  dig- 
regard  of  the  established  linages  of  the  world.    The  "  orders 
m  council "  of  the  English,  and  the  "  decrees"  of  the  French, 
are  not  unknown  to  you.   Under  the  operations  of  those  novel 
principles  of  belligerent  rights,  more  than  sixteen  hundred 
sail  ot  American  vessels  were  captured  or  sequestered  by  the 
f  iighsh,  French,  Spaniards,  Danes,  and  Neapolitans.     Of 
this  number,  near  a  thousand  were  condemned,  and,  with 
their  cargoes,  entirely  lost  to  the  nation.     These  captures 
occurred  during  the  enjoyment  of  our  neutral  character !  The 
restrictive  laws,  a  measure  of  our  own  forbearing  policy,  fol- 
lowed these  heavy  losses,  and,  for  near  two  years,  the  foreign 
trade  of  the  country  was  entirely  abandoned.  To  these  again 
succeeded  a  war  of  near  three  years,  with  a  nation  which 
commanded  the  sea,  which  had  little  else  to  do  on  that  ele- 
ment but  to  annoy  our  trade,  and  which,  for  much  of  tho 
time,  had  no  other  enemy.     To  all  these  check'sTwhich,  in 
1814,  had  reduced  the  navigation  of  the  country  to  about 
one-twentieth -of  what  it  had  been  seven  years  before,  suc- 
ceeded the  general  peace,  a  period  when  each  community 
returned  to  the  enjoyment  of  its  own  peculiar  advantages 
It  we  put  the  short  and  nominal  interruption  to  the  peace, 
that  was  occasioned  by  the  return  of  Napoleon,  as  a  set-off 
to  the  additional  year  that  the  American  war  continued,  we 
can  suppose  all  the  nations  to  have  re-entered  the  lists  of 
commercial  enterprise  together.  The  result  is  known  to  you. 
Though  America  has  not  regained  her  former  ratio  of  ton- 
nage, (a  thing  not  to  be  expected  during  a  general  peace,) 
she  has  become  again,  compared  with  her  population,  the 
most  maritime  nation  of  the  earth.    When  one  coolly  reflects 
on  the  shocks  she  sustained  in  her  wealth,  the  long  continu- 
ance of  the  restrictions  she  endured,  and  her  infancy,  the 
impression  must  be  irresistible  that  there  exists,  either  in  the 
spirit  of  her  people,  or  in  the  resources  of  America,  or  m 
both,  an  operating  cause  to  produce  these  effects,  which  is  to 
be  found  nowhere  else.     Does  any  man  believe  that  there  is 
a  single  nation  in  Europe  that  could  have  recovered  so  soon 
from  similar  shocks  ?     The  restoration  of  the  convalescent 
child  to  its  pristine  powers,  is  not  more  strongly  contrasted 
to  the  laboured  and  feeble  efforts  of  age,  than  is  the  elasticity 
with  which  America  recovers  from  political  pressure  to  be 
compared  to  the  cumbered  efforts  of  the  older  and  more  arti- 
ficial communities  of  Europe." 

"  What  effect  is  the  continuance  of  peace  hkely  to  produee 
on  the  navigation  of  your  country  ?" 

''  Peace  will  of  course  change,  indeed  it  1 


already, 


m 


NOTES. 


335 


iomnPtrn^T*  I         ^^  "*■?  '"^'■^  "**»  *^q<Jal  to  maintain  Co 
competiton    wherever  trade  is  co.  .lucted  on  DrinciDli7«     f 

exLma^LT  re  \^^  ^'""  ^^"^t  is  already  to  be  men  in 
co^ntTi  to  ui/t""^V'  ^'  ""^««i«^bly  in  the  power  of  oTher 
our  power  to^dont';  ^^''^''"'T'^  i«  «"r  way,  just  aa  it  is  in 
^a^  P°wer  to  adopt  tueasure.^  of  reta  iation.  It  is  useless  to 
carry  this  mvestigat.on  into  details,  since  the  mfnute  pdic^ 

Let  IIS  Innlr  p  r  ."*'*'^*^^^'  "  ,„^ri  mcreaso,  are  notorious, 
l^et  us  look,  for  instance,  ut  a  oranch  of  the  trade  that  is  at 
most  without  exception  within  our  owt,  control      On  Uam 

TeUn^ta^/h^^^^^  ^^"^  ^^^  f^i'^  com'ISerc'^^^ 

caLes  the^r- «  ^«^^^«»"jted  with  the  cli^ges  of  external 

**uu,  imturauy,  on  the  increase.     In   America    thp  voooLi« 

anoiner,  or,  m  tact,  between  one  port  and  another  arp  Pn.. 

without  the  country.  The  formqr  are  known  as  reL^st^Prl 
and  the  latter  as  hcensed  vessels.  The  TSnce  i^^iamp  ?« 
owing  to  the  difference  in  the  document  vJhich  g?vS  to  ach 
Its  respective  character.  In  all  other  reanPrt>,  tho  «^  i 
mentH  are  the  same.  When  the  desUnaTnlTf  Z  TA 
changed,  it  becomes  necessary  to  change  the  e vhien^  of 
?rv  «.„  .  ^^^'  ^"  '^'^'  the  licensed  to^miage  of  the  coun- 
S,.  ?h""^^^  '^  l®^''^^^  ^*^»«-     It  exceeds,  at  the  present 

marUtr'e^X/^T-n^^^  hasCre' 

fh«r«^  ?L^    *i'  ^"^  '^  ^^^^y«  •»  a  ratio  rather  exceedin/r 

mu  *^^  population  of  the  country.*  exceeding 

"  The  most  rational  way  of  anticipating  the  I'uture  statP 

rncrrsLTrn?s'^f\'ff  P"^'  ^^  ^«  ^ '"«"'-  ^^^  rado  of  \i  ^ 
increasing  wants  of  the  country  m  connexion  with  the  pf 

fects  which  repletion,  if  I  may  so  term  it,  never  fails  'o  nrn 

duce  on  the  moral  no  less  thaJ  on  the  phyS^svs  em    ^Sn" 

eXtVafdThr'  "  "..^  f^'S  of  grow?hf ampleTustnanc: 
tends  to  aid  that  growth,  by  keeping  the  frame  equal  to  its 

fnnt  "^^  ?P  u"^^  **^  ^^?^*  '■^''^  ^''6  tonnage  of  the  United  States  to  1  534  Onn 
tons,  of  wh.ch  more  than  800,000  are  in'the  coasting  trade  and  SheS 


t  i 


336 


NOTES. 


■  t 


r^\ 


m 

.mm 

1 

j^HI 

f 

> 

\ 

3\ 

P  ''"is 

MR'' 

utmost  powers  of  developement ;  but  as  maturity  approaches 
excessive  nourishment  gradually  begins  to  defeat  its  own  ob- 
ject.    There  are  also  points  in  the  developement  of  the  re- 
sources of  all  communities,  where  calculation  must  become 
subject  to  Ihe  re-actions  of  a  state  of  rest,  and  of  a  retro- 
gradation,  just  as  in  the  animal  system  allowances  were  to 
be  made  for  a  condition  of  infant  vigour.     Should  we  as- 
sume, for  a  rule,  the  past  ratio  of  the  mcrease  of  our  coast- 
ing trade,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  last  few  years,  it  has 
hitherto  been  exceedingly  regular,  we  shall  have,  multiplying 
the  present  amount  by  seven,  a  total  of  near  five  millions  for 
the  licensed  tonnage  of  the  country  in  the  year  1860.   Under 
a  general  impression  of  its  improbability,  the  mind  rejects 
this  enormous  amount  as  exaggerated,  and,  no  doubt,  "with 
some  reason.     If  we  take  the  positive  growth  of  the  past 
without  any  reference  to  its  comparative  rate  of  increase,  it 
will  require  another  thirty  years  to  add  another  600,000  tons 
to  this  branch  of  our  trade.     But  as  the  United  States  are 
still  in  the  course  of  a  vigorous  and  healthful  developement 
of  their  resources,  there  are  those  who  would  reject  the  prin- 
ciple of  this  manner  of  estimation,  however  they  might  be 
satisfied  with  its  result.     If  we  take  the  known  rate  of  the 
mcrease  of  our  population  as  a  guide,  we  shall  have  a  licen- 
|ed  tonnage  of  about  1,600,000  in  the  year  1850.  With  these 
facts  m  view,  you  are  nearly  or  quite  as  well  qualified  to  judge 
of  this  matter  as  myself,  though  all  conjecture  on  the  subject 
must  necessarily  be  made  under  a  sense  of  the  mutability  of 
human  affairs.    In  order  to  form  an  opinion  of  this  branch  of 
trade,  however,  and  of  its  effects  on  the  maritime  character 
of  the  nation,  you  will  remember  that  the  voyages  are  made 
in  vessels  of  from  ten  tons,  to  those  of  five  hundred,  and  that 
they  are  from  twenty  miles  in  extent  to  two  thousand.  Now, 
this  trade  is  all  our  own^  and  can  never  be  materially  invaded' 
during  peace,  by  the  policy  of  any  other  people.     It  is  in  it- 
self such  a  germ  of  nautical  power  as  exists  nowhere  else, 
unless  it  may  be  in  England,  where  it  exists  at  all  times  sub- 
ject to  the  dangers  of  colonial  discussions  and  conflicting  in- 
terests.    In  short,  it  is  such  a  Jiealthful,  safe,  and  increasing 
source  of  commerce,  as,  I  think,  can  never  be  long  equalled 
by  the  intercourse  between  principal  and  dependant." 

"  What  effect  will  manufactures  be  likely  to  produce  on 
the  maritime  character  of  your  people?  How  far  will  the 
cheapness  of  hnd  have  a  tendency  to  divert  your  population 
irom  the  oceaii,  and  what  will  be  the  probable  influence  of 
the  inland  States  in  opposing  the  commercial,  or  navigaiinff 
Viterests  of  the  maritime  ?"  ®       ^ 


It ) 


|!i)i 


'  approaches 
1;  its  own  ob- 
nt  of  the  re- 
tiust  become 
1  of  a  retro- 
ices  were  to 
ould  we  as- 
if  our  coast- 
years,  it  has 
,  multiplying 
5  millions  for 
860.  Under 
mind  rejects 

doubt,  with 

of  the  past 
'  increase,  it 
300,000  tons 
J  States  are 
evelopement 
ect  the  prin- 
ey  might  be 

rate  of  the 
lave  a  licen- 

With  these 
fied  to  judge 
►  the  subject 
lutability  of 
is  branch  of 
le  character 
!s  are  made 
ed,  and  that 
sand.  Now, 
illy  invaded, 
It  is  in  it- 
iwhere  else, 
1  times  sub- 
nflicting  in- 
l  increasing 
ng  equalled 
nt." 

produce  on 
'ar  will  the 
•  population 
influence  of 

navigating 


NOTES. 


337 


"These  are  questions  often  asked;  but  the  two  first  of 
them,  at  least,  mi^ht  be  answered  by  he  resSte  JaU  exn^l 
rience.  Men  navigate  ships  for  precisely  the  same  oblS 
that  they  manufacture  goods.  They  do  both  to  enrich  tE- 
^!l:^,'  «' to  prevent  want.  It  is\  good  rea^^  why  the 
slander  should ffo  to  sea,  that  he  can  do  nothing  better-  but 
It  18  just  as  gooS  a  one,  that  the  inhabitant  of  a  continent 
shoufd  do  tje  same  thing,  because  he  can  do  nothing  el^ 

tlf  rj/^^'^^  '•  ^""  "^^^«  ^^^  «*  ^«"  ^  d:..ven  ?^ow 
tjie  Amencan  long  ago  made  the  discovery  that  notwitlL. 
standing  the  high  price  of  labour  in  Iiis  count^  ^he  carsaU 
a  ship  cheaper  than  others,  he  is  likely  to  rSp  most  emol^ 
ment  m  turning  his  attention  to  the  sea.  In  c  Jn^quenT^^^^^ 
this  discovery,  the  nation  has  become  marit  ne;  and?t  w?il 
undeniably  continue  maritime  so  long  as  there  k  profit  to  be 
tllTtn  dT  "7g^*^«»-  ^^»d  was  cheaper  thirty^eaf  s  ago 
on  the  wate;  '"th^p  '  ^  '''T'  }'^'  ''  *«  ^^^°  ^^eir  monf y 

pizr.  y'iiro^nrrnitrj^^^^^^^^^ 

the  value  of?ts  products^^Ts&cTeVe^K^^^^^^  1?^^' 
As  the  population  increases,  the  relative  prices  of  iSr 
wiU  necessarily  diminish,  until  the  tune  sha/com'e  when  men 
wil  go  to  sea  m  America,  as  elsewhere,  because  thev  can  do 

Lv^'fetst  sSfc" '  1;^"'^^^'  ^"^^^^^  ^^"«^  wwKust 
never  be  lost  sight  of,  when  one  reasons  on  the  inducements 

which  tempt  men  to  quit  the  land  for  the  water.    I  meZ  the 

restlessness  of  moral  excitement.     This  cause  ^  more  act  ve 

m  America,  where  the  labouring  classes  read  more,  and  heir 

fi«I  P 1  ^^^^^  common  seamen  employed  in  the  foreign 
o^fli  ^"^^'^'l^'^.^^'^^Snem  this  fact  is  not,  howevS^ 

Sves^utTo^hP^P''''T'"/^"^^".^"  '^'  P^^-t  «f  then^ 
«nl  4^  K-  1?  ^^^/"Perabundance  of  the  supply  in  Europe 

i^fbi  tn?^^'r^f  k'"'^"^'  '""^'^^  ^^^  American  ship-owner 
IS  able  to  offer  for  labour.  Nearly,  or  perhaps  quite  b  the 
proportion,  however,  aa  strangers  come  to  us   do  on^nwn 

Sv:?H.^'  ''ir'-.  ^^  ^"^^"<^-  -"oris  to  befZud  :S 
over  the  world  and  wherever  he  is  known,  he  is  liked  for  Ws 
deverness,  and  generally  for  his  comparatively  quit  habiFs 
a'JSr r.*;!^!:!^^^^^^  -^4  in  A_meS:l'„l£ 
famTw-mitkVt       V-  "1"'  "!'-"■  suppiy.     To  those  who  are 

.CdL''rbo„"Sce?a'S«t  Tnl  ""  "f  ""f"  "^ ''«■ 
Vol.  I.  prouuces  a  glut  in  a  country  where  every 


338 


NOTES. 


*,,r. 


.  i 
f 


I  5; 


thing  is  more  abundant  than  man.  It  is  not  unusual  for 
artisans  or  day-labourers  to  be  informed  of  these  demandsi 
by  means  of  the  public  prints,  and  for  adventurers  to  be  seen 
undertaking  journeys  of  hundreds  of  miles,  not  to  provide 
against  want,  but  in  order  to  reap  the  utmost  possible  emolu- 
ment from  their  personal  efforts.  In  this  particular,  no 
parallel  can  be  drawn  between  America  and  any  other  coun- 
try, since  no  other  country  possesses  such  varied  and  cheap 
means  of  intelligence^  and  communication,  nor  a  population 
sufficiently  active  ancT'^mlelligent  to  profit  by  tnem.  As 
respects  enterprise  and  intelligence,  the  mass  of  our  labouring 
people  may  be  placed  on  a  level  with  the  better  instructed 
English  mechanic:  without  his  particular  excellence,  it  is 
true,  but  with  infinitely  more  general  and  useful  information. 
Men  would  come  from  the  forest  to  the  sea  to  ineet  a  de- 
mand, just  as  meii  will  go  from  the  sea  to  the  interior,  when 
that  demand  has  more  than  met  with  its  supply.  So  long  as 
the  merchant  can  afford  to  pay  for  labour,  he  will  never  want 
seamen  in  America,  since  it  is  commerce  that  makes  mari- 
ners, and  not  mariners  commerce.  There  are  certain  familiar 
facts  that  have  a  more  particular  connexion  with  the  present 
state  of  our  seamen,  which  we  may  find  it  useful  to  refer  to, 
when  we  shall  come  to  consider  America  as  a  ncal  power. 
But  the  subject  must  be  postponed,  until  you  have  seen  some- 
thing of  the  country  itself. 

"  As  respects  the  supposed  difference  between  the  interests 
of  what  you  call  the  maritime,,  and  of  the  interior  States, 
it  has  no  real  existence,  and  can,  therefore,  never  produce 
any  important  results.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  state  of 
society  where  there  is  so  little  competition,  (the  source  of 
all  discord,)  between  its  members,  as  is  to  be  found  in  the 
United  States.  The  unfortunate  and  lamentable  grievance 
of  slavery  ceases  to  be  an  evil  in  this  respect.  That  momentary 
collisions  of  opinion  do  arise  between  northern  and  southern, 
between  eastern  and  western  policy,  is  undeniable;  but 
they  are  far  more  the  results  of  the  right  to  complain,  than 
of  any  natural  disability  to  maintain  the  connexion.  Fancy 
for  a  moment,  that  Ireland,  Scotland,  Canada,  and  the  West 
Indies,  could  make  themselves,  not  heard,  but  felt  in  the 
councils  of  their  empire,  and  then  figure  to  yourself  the  dis- 
cord that  would  follow !  Nay,  look  at  that  which  does  at  this 
moment  exist,  when  their  voites  are  so  feeble,  and  their  ef- 

fnrtia  fan   imnntpnt,      TVnw.  in    Amfirip.H.  thp   sniithpTn 


nlnnffir 

has  need  of  the  shipping  and  manufactures  of  some  one. 
He  has  only  to  ask  himself  whether  he  will  use  those  of  a 
people  in  whose  councils  he  shares,  or  those  of  strangers. 


•t  unusual  for 
liese  demandsi 
srs  to  be  seen 
lot  to  provide 
Dssible  emolu- 
particular,  no 
ly  other  coun- 
ied  and  cheap 

a  population 
>y  tnem.  As 
our  labouring 
ter  instructed 
cellence,  it  is 
il  information, 
io  ineet  a  de- 
interior,  when 
.  So  long  as 
ill  never  want 

makes  mari- 
srtain  familiar 
;h  the  present 
'ul  to  refer  to, 
nc.dl  power. 
ve  seen  some- 

1  the  interests 
terior  States, 
lever  produce 
le  a  state  of 
the  source  of 
!  found  in  the 
ble  grievance 
it  momentary 
and  southern, 
leniable ;  but 
omplain,  than 
xion.  Fancy 
ind  the  West 
it  felt  in  the 
irself  the  dis- 
h  does  at  this 
and  their  ef- 
ihern  "lanter 
f  some  one. 
se  those  of  a 
of  strangers. 


NOTES. 


339 


The  converse  of  the  proposition  exhibits  the  principle  which 
bmds  the  northern  to  the  southern  man.     On  all  the  irreat 

S^  IVf'hu^  **"^'*'T  f  Po^cy'  their  interests  are  identified, 
and  the  harmony  which  has  suffered  so  little  interruption  fo^ 

h!;^*''^''*"/^'  ^^u^^  ^^^  ^^"^^^1^  they  are  of  its  truth.  Any 
departures  from  this  accordance  of  opinion,  are  merely  trifling 
SnT'  ^hicl;  are  only  the  mo?e  prominent  from  S 
S  ffih  '^  ^1 '  •^'^^^"^  "^  ^^i«'  Tennessee,  and  Ken- 

of  the  uln  th!;'^"'^'.^''^"'  *e  ^"^^^^*«  «^  the  commerce 
or  tne  Union,  they  might  encumber  it  from  iffnorance  of  it« 

prac  ices,  though  they  would  not  be  slow  to^percefve  how 
useful  It  IS,  even  to  themselves.     But  commerce  is  regulated 

who  L^oTi?  'T'^  "^'^"  r^°"'  ^^«r«  "^«"  are  assS  ed 
who  know  how  to  compare  their  respective  wants,  and  where 

^Se  mSt!  "But?r^  eomplet'ely  silenced  b;rhe  Ws 
Zrl«t  T^^l^'      "   ''^^'  ^?' '"  considering  this  question,  a 

America  Th^'""'^  '^??'  ^  ^^'^  «"  the  inland  States  of 
America.  The  territorial  limits  of  the  States  are  ideal,  so  far 
as  commerce  IS  concerned.     As  bodies  poUtic,  th    Sta  eTare 

evS  ""?.!;' '^"  ^'"^^-  ^^i^her  is  extent  c  ,  ast  any 
evidence  of  the  maritime  habits  of  a  State.  New- 'lork,  wiJh 
more  shipping,  has  less  coast  (if  an  island  without  0X^6 
excepted,)  than  the  two  smallest  States  of  the  Unior  Ou? 
of  twenty.four  States,  seventeen  touch  the  sea,  five  He  on  the 
great  lakes,  and  the  remaining  three  have  d  rect  navSible 
water  commumcation  with  the  port  of  Nev- Orleans  an!  whI 
Newi^orT  "  ^^^^'^^^ --tsr'<^«n™unicatiorwTh  ?£attf 
"  As  to  manufactures,  they  are  clearly  a  means  of  nirfin,, 
commerce,  when  they  exist  in^ommanitiL  thS  »n  Ifit^f 
both     It  will  be  adding  one  more  to  the  other  nbme™™ 

dT'offiftvTerhl'''^  '^"™"7''^'  '"''"  "•riv-XusT 
St°on  LI  wni^rr'i'"'^'  >""""#  «"!««««»"  out  of  the 
munSon  ^^  """  ''""'^  '""«»^  ""^  "^3"'^  "f  "tercorn- 

te;t?a?re"i';rceThryr?uT;  ^rrftt^ '■■rrj- 

tho.:  K.  „  r!!!'J!T^'''     I  have  already  said,  that  should 
K«rv    r^  --"''^""  iur  seamen,  it  would  produce,  when  neccs- 

Of Vs  trTh  vorvvT;    ''"'  ''  "fr  ''^  be  ""-'-"y. 

of  facts      Thnul         ^  convmced  by  a  simple  statement 

tacts.     Though,  perhaps,  one-third,  and  sometimes  one- 


1^ 


340 


NOTES. 


h^oftbe  seamen  employed  in  om  foreign  trade  may  b<S 
fOT^ere,  the  country  ha«  always  pousc  ssed  enouirh  rtf  its 
own  to  conduct  its  commerce.  Thousands  live  onll^ofe  for 
years  at  a  time,  and  thousands  are  induced  to  go  abroad  in 
Quest  of  adventure.  In  the  trade,  coastwise,  Isheries,  &c* 
&c.  nme-tenths,  or,  perhaps,  more  are  natives.  Now  these 
m«i  have  been  chiefrjr  supplied  by  five  of  the  New-England, 
Mid  the  five  middle  ^tates.    In  1 790,  the  population  ofthei^ 

1  fiof  oif  "S!T  •  *!^  *"*  2,264,536.  In  1820,  it  had  reached 
4,603  974 ;  that  is  to  say,  it  had  doubled  in  thirty  years,  not- 
withstandmg  the  vast  emigration  they  had  sent  to  the  west. 
rhis  mcrease  is  certainly  liable  to  some  explanation.  During 
this  trnie.  New- York,  Pennsylvania,  Maine,  and  New-Hamp? 
shire,  have  been,  comparatively  speaking,  new  States.  Bui 
the  two  latter  have  never  been  favourites,  and  all  have,  for 
the  last  fifteen  years,  sent  forth  more  emigrants  than  thev 
have  received,  and  they  have  received  few  settlers  that  did 
not  come  from  some  one  of  the  ether  six.  The  increase  of 
these  .en  States  between  the  years  1810  and  1820,  a  period 
durmg  which  they  must  have  been  losers  by  the  ei^iffSicm 
w^  ht  le  short  of  900,000  souls.  Thus,  you  see,  the  qWiTn 
has  becoine  exceedingly  narrow.  If  the  fact,  that  we  have 
now  a  sufficient  number  of  native  seamen,  to  conduct  our 
trade,  be  admitted,  the  tonnage  of  the  country  must  double 

Soff  ^Z®*'^'  \^^^-  T''^''^  ""^  ^^«  population  of  these  ten 
states  alone  can  furnish  the  necessary  supply  for  the  future 
In  makuig  these  remarks,  I  have  excluded  foreign  emigration 

SI  .%^'*r*^\''  ^'""^^  \^  '^  ^^"  ^«^»  *h«t  ft  produces  no 
viable  effect  on  the  population  of  the  country.  It  has  been 
ju^^i^  caiculated  that,  all  births  aUowei  the  population 
ot  the  United  States  was  scarcely  augmented  200,000  souls, 
by  foreign  emigration,  in  five-and-thirty  years.  It  is  said  to 
be  mcreasmg  a  little  just  now,  a  fact  that  will,  of  course, 
only  facilitate  our  ability  to  meet  any  extraordinary  demand 


END  OF  VOL.  I. 


u 


^! 


ie  may  b^ 
ugh  of  itB 
I  si^orefor 
abroad  in 
leries,  dz^c* 
Sow  these 
-England, 
►n  of  the«e 
id  reached 
^ears,  ncrt;- 
the  west. 
a.  During 
!W-Harap- 
tes.    But 
have,  tbr 
than  they 
3  that  did 
creaee  of 
,  a  period 
nigraticHi, 
!  question 
we  have 
iduct  our 
St  double 
these  ten 
le  future, 
nigration 
•duces  no 
lias  been 
apulation 
<)0  souls, 
is  said  to 
f  course, 
demand 


/ 


.v.* 


/ 


